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Self-driving cars hold key to future highway: Google exec

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“Some day an autonomous car will cause an accident and it will be big news. But while we’ve been talking several people have died from human drivers.”

Exactly. Some people object to self driving cars because they may cause (or not properly avoid) an accident at some point, ignoring the fact that these cars will be in significantly less accidents than human driven cars. Just because we can't achieve absolute perfection, doesn't mean we shouldn't choose the path that leads to less deaths.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Personally? Can't wait to have the choice. Fantastic development.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

must be some serious car-driving fanatic here to downvote the above comments.

totally agree with UK9393 and strangerland. great option to have, especially for commute driving which is hell on earth. and removing the human out of the equation should result in traffic deaths plummeting..

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Interesting. I wonder what the maximum speed will be. If its slower than a bus or train I don't see this work at all.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Next time you hop in your self driving car, the doors will lock automatically and the car will drive itself to the local police station.

That is exactly why the big automakers (and their opinion matters much more than Google's) don't buy the concept of a steering-wheel-less car. The driver should always be able to decide when to give and when to take back control.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

My car self-drives when I fall asleep at the wheel.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

For visually impaired people and for epileptics, who would normally be forbidden from attempting to drive cars and who are thus closed off from innumerable social and employment opportunities, self-driving cars will be a godsend. The sooner this development happens, the better.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I just bought a new Buick with adaptive cruise control. It has sensors at the top of the windshield that monitor a car in front of my car (out to about 100 meters), and monitors the lines painted on the road. It will warn me if I'm crossing a broken line without using a turn signal and will warn me if I'm crossing a solid line regardless of turn signal. If the cruise control is on and the car in front of me slows or stops, the cruise control will slow and/or stop my car accordingly. When the car in front starts back up, the cruise control starts my car back up as well. It cannot detect stop signs or traffic lights, however, so if there's no car in front of you, you still have to be doing the braking. As such, it's a very useful tool on the highway, but it's not very useful in the city.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

“Solar power is growing exponentially. It’s doubling every two years. In many parts of the world, it’s reached parity with fossil fuel.”

Wow! If only solar power could reach parity with fossil fuel in Japan, China, the U.S....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Self-drive cars will arrive in increments. Fadamor mentioned enhanced cruise control. Coming next (and soon!) are cars that read speed limit signs and refuse to exceed that speed. In a few decades, knowing how to drive a car will join knowing how to drive a stagecoach. There will be people who can do it but most people won't have a clue.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Coming next (and soon!) are cars that read speed limit signs and refuse to exceed that speed.

Reading the speed limit sign is not necessary. In my car the speed limit is posted alongside the speedometer. It gets this information from GPS and the Navigation Map. Only the side-streets don't display this information.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

And after the car refuses to take you where you want to go, or takes you to a different destination, you may want to resume control. Reliance on technology makes people appear less intelligent.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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