What could... | Vital Football

What could...

Rob the Imp

Rob the Imp

Vital Football Hero
#3
#3
Not 100% related but the 'smart' tech in our rental car in the USA last year nearly ended us. Driving up the side of a mountain road, and on the edge with the drop right by us, the car decided I'd gone off road and slammed the brakes on. Fine, except that made it skid closer and closer to the edge...only just avoided voiding my bowels, but it was very close.
 
NottyImp

NottyImp

Vital Football Legend
#5
#5
Rob the Imp said:
Not 100% related but the 'smart' tech in our rental car in the USA last year nearly ended us. Driving up the side of a mountain road, and on the edge with the drop right by us, the car decided I'd gone off road and slammed the brakes on. Fine, except that made it skid closer and closer to the edge...only just avoided voiding my bowels, but it was very close.
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That sounds proper scary! Of course, you were in an unusual situation and that's where the algorithms are likely not to cope.
 
sedgleyimp

sedgleyimp

Vital Football Hero
#6
#6
38 people have been killed on smart motorways since they were introduced, often as a consequence of the removal of the hard shoulder. The combination of that and cars self driving whilst Mr Stupid has a nap behind the wheel is going to be carnage
 
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plumbob

Vital Football Hero
#7
#7
NottyImp said:
That sounds proper scary! Of course, you were in an unusual situation and that's where the algorithms are likely not to cope.
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What's the solution to that then? A manual switch to turn "auto-pilot" on and off? Again, what could possibly go wrong!
I'll stay in control of my car as long as I can, thanks. 30 years of driving and I'm still alive without any assistance, other than the wife crying next to me and saying slow down!!
 
Rob the Imp

Rob the Imp

Vital Football Hero
#8
#8
NottyImp said:
That sounds proper scary! Of course, you were in an unusual situation and that's where the algorithms are likely not to cope.
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That is true. My worry with this sort of technology is that a) I fail to see why it is necessary and b) driving is inherently an unpredictable activity which any algorithm or combination of algorithms is going to struggle with.

And in fairness to the car, it was excellent for the other 2,200+ miles.
 
Chesterimp

Chesterimp

Vital 1st Team Regular
#12
#12
What's to worry about? I have it on good authority Gavin Williamson has signed off the algorithm, self driving cars will be running at 2 gears lower and therefore much slower than human driven cars.
 
Rob the Imp

Rob the Imp

Vital Football Hero
#16
#16
Can anybody answer the question of what the point of self-driving cars is? The only thing I've seen with any relevance was a very slow electric car that delivered a pizza to somebody in America...
 
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buckielugger

Vital 1st Team Regular
#18
#18
plumbob said:
What's the solution to that then? A manual switch to turn "auto-pilot" on and off? Again, what could possibly go wrong!
I'll stay in control of my car as long as I can, thanks. 30 years of driving and I'm still alive without any assistance, other than the wife crying next to me and saying slow down!!
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I recall a case in US of A where a driver of a silly giant camper van (or whatever Americans call their ones) was suing the vehicle manufacturers because...wait for it...they failed to explain that cruise control did NOT mean autopilot, and the driver having engaged cruise control had got out of the driver's seat and gone into the rear part of the van presuming it would now be driving itself, and surprise surprise the vehicle soon crashed.
Only over there.
 
Sincilbanks

Sincilbanks

Vital 1st Team Regular
#20
#20
NottyImp said:
... possibly go wrong?

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/aug/18/self-driving-cars-allowed-motorways-industry-risk
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This is already available on many cars, and many drivers let their car do pretty much all the driving apart from the steering on motorways already. Letting the car do the lane transfer though is pretty much an invitation to a pile up.

Fully autonomous driving (which the headline implies but doesn't actually mean) is years and years away from being implemented. Tesla are way ahead of anyone else and they can't get a safety certificate for love nor money in the US never mind Europe.
https://www.wired.com/story/tesla-autopilot-self-driving-crash-california/
 
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