Driver-less Cars

Discussion in Auto & Moto started by gata montes • Aug 27, 2015.

  1. gata montes

    gata montesActive Member

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    Now that this futuristic concept that once seemed like decades away - has almost arrived - with recent predictions being - that driver-less cars will very likely be appearing on our roads as soon as 2020 - what do you think the pros and cons are ?

    Also - bearing in mind - that although they undoubtedly have the potential to make the roads safer and therefore save lives -as well as ease traffic congestion, parking problems and offer the convenience of being almost chauffeur driven - leaving you free to work, send texts and make calls, play games, read etc, etc - there a couple of aspects that don't seem quite so beneficial - for example - who would be responsible if there was an accident - “ the driver “, the car manufacturer or you and what about security - surely they would be vulnerable to hackers and possibly even prime targets too.

    How do you feel at the prospect of handing over control of your vehicle to a computer ?
     
  2. GemmaRowlands

    GemmaRowlandsActive Member

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    I think that it seems like a great concept, however there should be some way to override the driverless feature if you want to take control at any point during the course of the journey. I wouldn't like the thought of being completely out of control all of the time, as that is something that would worry me a lot. It does excite me that this could be a possibility in our lifetime, though, as it would make things a heck of a lot easier for many people who need to drive long journeys all the time but have to keep stopping to take breaks.
     
  3. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    Does this mean I'll be able to drive now? I never got my license lol. I worry about glitches and hacks, but otherwise, in theory, it seems like a great progress and I'm really looking forward to it.
     
  4. Nickchick

    NickchickWell-Known Member

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    Haha I wish it would come out now considering I've been eerie about learning to drive. Hopefully by the time it'll come out I'll have already driven though.
    I'm not too worried. Cars are pretty much metal death traps anyway so it wouldn't be worse than it is now. In fact it may even be safer. There is the possibility of glitches/hacks but if calibrated correctly (which they would test it enough before it comes out in the market) it would eliminate carelessness and distraction.
     
  5. JosieP

    JosiePWell-Known Member

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    I don't know.. many regular cars on the road are already vulnerable to hackers. Not sure where I read that, but they could even gain control of the engine and breaks. Sadly, many things come out far before they should and far before all issues are dealt with. Sometimes release is the only way to find out everything that could happen. I agree though.. safer either way. Safer still would be to put all cars on tracks haha.. now there's a life saver if I ever thought of one!! lol
     
  6. gata montes

    gata montesActive Member

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    Exactly - although I have to admit that I'm not currently at all comfortable with the idea of handing over total control of my vehicle to a computer - especially as far as I'm aware - computers do still need some form of human guidance at present - I too think that unless car manufacturers can come up with a way more sophisticated hack proof system than they have at present - car hacking will for sure be a major problem with driver-less vehicles

    Which is a scary thought - as like you said - if nearly all modern day vehicles are already so vulnerable that car manufacturers are having to release regular security up dates to car owners and even more so since it was demonstrated by two security researchers - just how easy it was to take control of a Jeep over the internet - disable the engine and brakes and crash it into a ditch - without the driver being able to do anything to avoid it - driver-less vehicles would surely be a prime targets - not just to hackers wanting to play around or car thieves - but worst of all to terrorists.

    So yes although I can see numerous advantages to driver-less cars and especially from the driver safety point of view - am thinking that unless they can solve the hacking problem - the disadvantages may well outweigh the advantages.
     
  7. Lushlala

    LushlalaWell-Known Member

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    I too worry about hackers and technical glitches as far as driver-less cars are concerned. It's just crazy, because I recently heard that flying cars may also be on the market in the next decade. I can just imagine the mayhem, and accidents as well!
     
  8. Denis Hard

    Denis HardWell-Known Member

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    It will be a while before I'll feel comfortable enough to ride in driver-less. All the convenience does sound great yes but unless all cars on the road are computer-driven and connected to one network so they can "communicate" with each other we'll still have issues on the roads and probably more accidents.
     
  9. Cash In Hand

    Cash In HandMember

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    They were testing one of these cars a while ago, and part of the test was at a four way stop sign. Seeing how impatient drivers are, on the other 3 sides of the intersection, there were no cars that ever came to a complete stop. These driver-less cars are programmed to act and react to situations that are programmed into them by the letter of the driving laws. That being the case, the driver-less car never took off from the intersection because no other car came to a complete stop as the letter of the law dictates that they should. The letter of the law that is the only thing those driver-less cars are programmed to respond to.

    There is a human element to this that will prevent this concept from ever taking off in my opinion. In other words, it's good in theory but it will never work in practice because of the imperfections the human element brings to the road. Imperfections you cannot program a car to respond to because they fluctuate so widely between times, road conditions, etc......
     
  10. Diane Lane

    Diane LaneWell-Known Member

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    I've also heard of these vehicles being involved in accidents, as well as being hacked. Unfortunately, as @Cash In Hand@Cash In Hand mentioned, there will always be a human element. Perhaps there will be some way to designate a lane specifically for these vehicles, somewhat like the HOV (high occupancy vehicles) lanes on the highways, so they're in a specific lane, and aren't interacting with human drivers, at least on that stretch of road. That's the only way I could see this working, or perhaps in small cities and out in rural areas. It could be a boon to those with specific disabilities, children, and those who don't have a driver's license for one reason or another, but the statistics aren't looking that good so far.
     
  11. Jamie Sam

    Jamie SamNew Member

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    It will b great addition to roads . but the question arise about road safety. but wish to have it very safe to roads.
     
  12. Corzhens

    CorzhensWell-Known Member

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    I have read about the Google Car that is in testing stage already. It doesn't need a driver, according to the claim, and the passenger just needs to indicate the destination and the car will handle everything. Our car is a Ford Escape and in one occasion that I was in the dealer, I noticed a Ford Focus being demonstrated. It can park by itself. Yes, that Ford sedan has a driver but the the parking is navigated by the car.