Re:Computer-driven cars will convulse the automotive industry
by krapp on Sunday December 01, 2013 @05:58PM
(#6829844)
>all self driving cars will shut off whenever the chance of precip is above 0%, or the temp is below 32F, etc.
No, they'll probably still work. You'll just have to pay a premium for driving in "unsafe conditions" and "unsafe areas."
Re:Computer-driven cars will convulse the automotive industry
by noonespecial on Sunday December 01, 2013 @09:58PM
(#6831187)
What if your car, networked with all of the other cars in the immediate area, came to the conclusion that a fatal collision was unavoidable unless one car (your car) purposely veered over the side of a bridge... The good of the many outwieghs the good of the few, and you're the few?
Re:Computer-driven cars will convulse the automotive industry
by dandrews on Sunday December 01, 2013 @11:46PM
(#6831666)
Unless you paid extra for the level-2 protection package. Then the network has to select a level-1 vehicle to go over the edge.
Re:Computer-driven cars will convulse the automotive industry
by noonespecial on Monday December 02, 2013 @01:52PM
(#6835582)
That really is a terrifying thought if you follow it. It won't be so blatant. Probably more like "everyone knows that Volvo AI's get in way less fatal crashes than "cheaper" Chevy AI's".
Considering human nature, I don't think I can imagine a way where this won't happen on some level or another.
Re:Computer-driven cars will convulse the automotive industry
by maxerickson on Monday December 02, 2013 @04:14PM
(#6836575)
The network so awful it can't prevent fatal crashes on bridges but so awesome it can pick who dies when they happen.
Re:Computer-driven cars will convulse the automotive industry
by derleth on Monday December 02, 2013 @02:58AM
(#6832399)
A child runs into the street. The only place to swerve is into a few senior citizens. The kid's dead, right? Obviously the seniors have seniority, you must Respect Your Elders, and their estates can pay for much better attorneys that a grieving young couple can. I just wonder if the software will be smart enough to know that.
Or another interesting problem is how do you push a self driving car beyond its performance boundaries to save your life? "I'm sorry dave, but I can't let you drive during a hurricane/tsunami warning" "hey car, shut up and drive, the storm surge is rising and unless you get moving you're about to transform into a submarine"
If you get fired from your job because your self driving car decided its not going out in 1 inch of snow, how much do you sue the manufacturer? Or the other way around, your self driving car permitted you to go out in a 24 inch blizzard and it got stuck and you died, how much does your estate and survivors get to sue the manufacturer?" Obviously the proud american tradition of screw the little guy means the mfgrs can do anything they want, but the PR implications mean all self driving cars will shut off whenever the chance of precip is above 0%, or the temp is below 32F, etc. And THATs why I don't want a self driving car, it'll be useless in order to be legally intrinsically safe (only valid operating conditions will be 70 degrees, sunny, daytime, etc, which is about 2 weeks per year where I live.)