Re:How driverless cars will affect our cities
by rdtsc on Friday March 29, 2013 @11:58AM
(#5461341)
> Hitting someone due to software failure isn't any different than if it happens due to a break or cruise control malfunction.
I kind of agree with that. That is why I inserted the bit about pervasive logging of events. This technology will increase that many times over. Any manufacturer getting into this will need that in order to prove beyond any doubt that their software did the right thing.
NOW bugs happens and in this case bugs will kill people at some point. So, can the manufacture be trusted with keeping logs themselves. The answer is no. Not if they have a strong incentive to make it look like it is not their fault. It it basically either their ass on the line or driver's ass. There will always be a question of "ok, so they do show that user pressed the pedal and tried to take manual control of the car, but how do we know they didn't insert that artificially in there...".
I think there will be a need for 3rd party or government mandated continuous logging. Cameras, following distance sensors, accelerators, local road conditions monitoring and so on, so during a law-suit this 3rd party's product (who supposedly should have not interest in falsifying the data) would be used in establishing fault.
I kind of agree with that. That is why I inserted the bit about pervasive logging of events. This technology will increase that many times over. Any manufacturer getting into this will need that in order to prove beyond any doubt that their software did the right thing.
NOW bugs happens and in this case bugs will kill people at some point. So, can the manufacture be trusted with keeping logs themselves. The answer is no. Not if they have a strong incentive to make it look like it is not their fault. It it basically either their ass on the line or driver's ass. There will always be a question of "ok, so they do show that user pressed the pedal and tried to take manual control of the car, but how do we know they didn't insert that artificially in there...".
I think there will be a need for 3rd party or government mandated continuous logging. Cameras, following distance sensors, accelerators, local road conditions monitoring and so on, so during a law-suit this 3rd party's product (who supposedly should have not interest in falsifying the data) would be used in establishing fault.