Self drive cars

[VincentD]

.....
Too much technology built into stuff that people can't repair themselves is a future recipe for disaster...

Given Pete's post about a car with no steering wheel, I need to rephrase tha last statement..
Too much technology built into stuff that people can't repair themselves and are more than willing to strap themselves into

[PeteC]

Deleted...double post

[Nereus]

Just wait! Ford announced this week that in 2021 they're introducing a car without a steering wheel! I'll ask once again......WHO THE HELL BLOODY WANTS THINGS LIKE THAT! Pete

There may not be many that want it, but there are sure as hell thousands that SHOULD have it!

[STEVE G]

Just wait! Ford announced this week that in 2021 they're introducing a car without a steering wheel! I'll ask once again......WHO THE HELL BLOODY WANTS THINGS LIKE THAT! Pete

Times are changing Pete, the average age for first getting a driving licence in the UK is now 26, we were all getting them as teenagers. You have a lot of people now who would rather be online and let the car do the driving.

[PeteC]

My daughter here is 11 now. I think I'll buy her a well used standard shift Toyota pick up to begin to learn the right way. I was driving at 12 so no harm IMO.

This theme is the same as dependence on the internet. If the day comes when all satellites and GPS get knocked out, the new generation(s) won't have a clue what to do to keep communications, business, and unfortunately the military running....as well as whatever they're driving coming to a dead stop or running off a cliff! The real crisis though is that they'll all have to stop playing Pokemon. They may all commit suicide in that event. Pete

[hhfarang]

Although, if used extensively in Thailand, lives would definitely be saved as there would have to be fewer traffic deaths than there is now.

[STEVE G]

My daughter here is 11 now. I think I'll buy her a well used standard shift Toyota pick up to begin to learn the right way. I was driving at 12 so no harm IMO......:

Yes but 12 in Thailand is already four years experience on a Honda Wave!

[Bluesky]

Tesla has recently received considerable adverse publicity over its autopilot system however here is another interesting aspect.

Tesla Autopilot Drives Man to Emergency Room

A man suffering a pulmonary embolism while behind the wheel of his Tesla Model X was able to activate the car's semiautonomous Autopilot feature. And then his car drove itself to the hospital.

Joshua Neally recounted his story fully to Slate, but in a nutshell: Last month, Neally was driving on the highway near Springfield, Missouri when he began to feel intense pain in his chest and abdomen. He was able to quickly call his wife, and the two agreed he should go to the hospital. He doesn't remember much after that but arrived safe and sound.

Looking back, Neally isn't sure he made the right split-second decision to trust the car. He could have also pulled over to the side of the road and dialed 911. Of course, the ambulance would have also had to get there in the first place, and Neally wonders if he could have even pulled over in the first place. Either way, the survival story is very good news for Neally and also for Tesla, which has gotten a rash of bad publicity since the first fatal crash involving Tesla's Autopilot feature.

Source: BBChttp://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a22234/te ... -hospital/

[J.J.B.]

^^ I saw this story over the weekend and it smacked to me of Tesla's PR department trying to do anything they can to redress the balance of the press they're receiving. Notwithstanding the fact I didn't realise the Model X was even released, I love the fact in the story that he decides to drive to the hospital after talking it over with his wife - hardly a life-and-death situation, then! Still, in true PR fashion, don't let the truth get in the way of a good story.

My daughter will be turning 17 in a few weeks and I just bought her a car last weekend to get her excited about the prospect of driving. I passed my test about 8 weeks after my 17th birthday and couldn't wait to get behind the wheel. It's taking all my effort to even get my daughter to apply for her license!

I think the ability to drive autonomously as humans provides tremendous freedom and as the world automates and we hand some of the tedious functions over to computers, there's no harm in it.

[PeteC]

^ That's my whole point. Let humans be humans, but of course my definition may unfortunately not refer to humans of the generation present and future. I guess I'll need to refer to myself as a mid-20th century human for clarification. When men were men, chicks were chicks and cars were cars! Pete

[PeteC]

^ These days, men are sometimes women, calling a woman a chick will get your head bashed, or a puzzled look why you're talking about baby chickens , and cars are turning into robots. Sad state of affairs. Pete

[STEVE G]

I was just reading an article in the New York Times about the announcement from Ford and what they're actually targeting is the ride sharing and taxi market which is a bit of a different thing. Here where I work in Europe a taxi costs 25 euro to go 7km into town and if a driverless one could do it for much less, I think they would be popular.