tech

How can people safely take control from a self-driving car?

12 Comments
By JUSTIN PRITCHARD

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12 Comments
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How can people safely take control from a self-driving car?

By not taking control and avoiding human error

2 ( +5 / -3 )

By not buying them!

0 ( +3 / -3 )

I'm glad to see they have finally realised the dark side of self driving cars. What if the driver is drunk and his 'self-driving' car has an accident? - which is not supposed to happen. To me, self-driving cars are a waste of time and money in developing. They will create more accidents than they prevent, simply because drivers will become complacent, as the article states. Self-correcting and speed limiting cars would be a more appropriate approach to 'intelligent' cars. I have boggled over the concept of producing consumer cars that will travel at 200 kph+ for many years. Why is this necessary when the speed limits are only up to120 kph in most countries? It doesn't make sense! It's the same as a smart phone! A smart phone is only as smart as the person using it! Smart cars will be no different!

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

To me, self-driving cars are a waste of time and money in developing.

Unless you can't drive, in which case self-driving cars are an absolute godsend.

You might as well claim that wheelchairs, artificial limbs, and anything else that lets people with handicaps function more fully in society are all "a waste of time and money".

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Doesn't this type of car defeat the whole purpose of a self-driving car? If I buy something like this, I would buy it because I would want to engage in another activity or take a nap. If I have to pay attention to the road, etc., then I would just rather do the driving in the first place. It has nothing to do with not trusting the car or the idea that of self-driving cars, but rather it would be a waste of time to watch something else drive, just in case I'm needed. If I was needed, then I would be kind of worried that the technology just isn't ready yet.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I Can't Let You Do That, Dave

4 ( +4 / -0 )

If I have to pay attention to the road, etc., then I would just rather do the driving in the first place. It has nothing to do with not trusting the car

Word up. And could it pass a DUI stop / BAC Test if I'm "buzzed", but the car completely sober? LoL . .

How to alert the person in the driver’s seat of the need to begin driving.

The "navi" should auto-start itself . . . directing the "buzzed driver" to the nearest 24hr drive-through for some much needed ice water and 99 cent value munchies.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

If my mom were still alive, I would never get her a car where she could take control. She would be overriding the computer every five minutes over some perceived danger (like a car crossing your lane a half-mile ahead).

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Taking control from a self driving car is going to have to be uniform across all vehicles. If you own a Benz and a Caddy and the auto to manual driving modes are different this will result in problems. Standardization of controls will have to be mandatory. The entire infrastructure of roads across the industrial world would need revamping and how to pay for the upgrades and maintenance. Eventually auto driving cars will be the norm and like every great idea the first steps are the most challenging. I would like nothing better than to ask my not so smartphone for a transport to a destination and within minutes a self driving transport is at my doorstep, I enter and buckle up then be chauffered along but Imho mass transit systems that are interfaced globally and not private transport vehicles are the way to go.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

how about prime directives? they'll need a steering committee

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The problem will be solved in different ways.

People turn cruise control on and off today. No big deal. I don't think "self driving" cars will be here for quite a while, even though Elon Musk promised them by summer 2015. No car maker has such an automatic car, so different systems will just assist drivers for the foreseeable future, with warnings and certain routines for different situations.

Surrender of control is likely to be an all or nothing deal. Liability shifts from the driver to the manufacturer, and nobody is going to trust a jury to figure out exactly when that happens. The car will probably determine everything, from the route to speed, etc. It will be .... public transportation ish, and it might wind up being operated as an Uber like service. Who knows.

Anyway, the question is simplistic, so no easy answer is likely to be correct. But I am pretty sure everybody will get what they want if they just leave it to the people who know what they are doing.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

My car currently has what the manufacturer calls "adaptive cruise control". It will make all decisions about acceleration and braking based on what the car in front is doing via a small radar mounted in the rear-view mirror post at the top of the windshield. A buffer is maintained in front of your car. If EVERYBODY had one of these and used it, the interstate highways would move a lot smoother as there would be no tailgating and therefore no "panic braking" with the resultant collisions.

Pros: When activated on an interstate highway, I only have to steer. My foot never touches the brake nor the gas pedal. This is noticeably less fatiguing than highway driving without the feature.

Cons: 1. In order to work properly, there has to be a car in front of you and within 100 yards or so. Otherwise the car acts like a normal cruise control and accelerates to the max speed you have set. 2. The radar takes a few seconds to recognize a change in which car to track in front. If there's a large difference in speed between the old target and the new target, the buffer could shrink considerably before the braking starts. The reverse is true as well, if the car in front moves into the left/right turn lane at an intersection and slows, adaptive cruise control initially starts braking as well even if you're continuing straight ahead. 3. As the feature relies on the radar return of the car in front, it knows nothing about traffic lights or stop signs. If there's no car in front reacting to the traffic light/stop sign, then adaptive cruise control would blow right on through the intersection without stopping.

In summary, it's "da bomb" for highway driving, but a bit of a pain for city/residential driving.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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