Autonomous Vehicles = Madness?
 

Suppose autonomous vehicles are commercially successful. People are free to be more productive while they are stuck in traffic. They can watch movies, refine business proposals for more machines. etc. etc.

How big would a traffic jam have to get before passengers realized that they hate sitting in their robot cars and would rather walk to a theater with their traffic mates?

I just realized that we don't have a word for traffic mates. Maybe we need one, because that is where we are headed.

Pedestrians?

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Concern for?

Technology can protect pedestrians.

That introduces an interesting question. If autonomous vehicles were perfectly safe to everyone, would people rather walk or be shuttled?

I prefer walking.

Voted.

I like the idea. I have crummy knees. ;)

We have autonomous vehicles around here. Google is developing the software and operating them on public roads as part of their testing. I like the idea but I wouldn't want to be forced into not driving myself.

Most of the cars I see on the road these days appear to be operating without a driver.

What emotions are at play? Can you think forward to being in an autonomous car and wondering how you got there? What anger, if any, would be yell-worthy?

I can imagine wanting a driver to talk to. And tip.

There's that but it's more a sense that there would be "nobody in control", particularly not me.;) I pride myself on being a significantly above average driver, having been a military chauffeur, a racing driver, a highway safety instructor and also an instructor in terrorism countermeasures for government and industry bigwigs and their chauffeurs.

As you might expect, I take driving very seriously. I'll always trust myself more than I will a collection of ones and zeros.

Initial emotion would be fear of the unknown - will the car crash without me being able to prevent it?

Once/if autonomous cars become common with a good safety record, my question would be: "why do I have this autonomous car? I could have taken the train."

The autonomous car would provide privacy and more room for your own stuff than mass transit, but would eliminate the joy of driving (human control). Unfortunately that would prob. be the safest route, given human road rage and accident statistics.

Designation for fellow walking traffic mates.

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BIG differences between autonomous car and train:

1. Car goes from exactly where you are to exactly where you want to go, point to point.

2. Car goes when you're ready, no hurrying to catch it, no waiting for it.

3. Security and privacy: no strangers in your car.

Would you trust your thoughts to a car that turns off your voice when it moves? Can you think through moving? For a minute? For decades?

Say what?

Yes indeed. I will be interested to see how mainstream they become.

Will those with the means have an autonomous car for the daily, mind numbing commute and a "traditional" automobile for weekend/pleasure driving?

Will there be legal ramifications/new regulations to address operating system "software glitches?" Accident? The car did it. Check the log. I wonder how insurance companies will adjust? Prob. favorably if the accident rates go down as expected.

System security? How easy to hack? You know someone will try.

I love to drive. I can only imagine that owning an autonomous vehicle would be as fun as riding a bus.

Zzzzzzzzzz...............

Me, too. If, in the distant future, the choices for commuting on main thoroughfares during peak hours become restricted to either autonomous vehicles or mass transit, I would take the bus/train.

Meh. Driving is fun for 15 minutes.

I predict vans with beds and other amenities will become very popular.

The 70s all over again! :D

http://37.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lk...blado1_500.jpg

That's a small bus made into a non-mobile crib. That gear would be all over after a moving vehicle had made one right and one left.

Still, illustrates the concept....

I commute 110 miles round trip. I would love to be in the back seat reading or sleeping while my car drove itself.