Reply to post: Re: "irrational human fear from loss of control"

Pioneer slaps 80s LASERS on cars for driverless push

Ben Tasker

Re: "irrational human fear from loss of control"

As for your misplaced confidence in your abilities: Not being involved in any crashes does not make you a "good" driver.

Leaving aside the fact you have no idea whether my confidence is misplaced or not (especially given I gave you a single datapoint, you know nothing of experience/training etc), I totally agree. However, being computer controlled also does not mean that autonomous cars will be better in every situation a driver might encounter - especially anything which may be unique.

It's a fairly simple risk assessment. My experience and ability is (more or less) a known quantity. The experience and ability of the bloke programming my robocar is based entirely on faith. I'm not comfortable gambling with my family's lives based on faith.

Over time, the balance will likely tip, as robocars will gain experience collectively.

As for insurance, I'd hate to go to 2k a year premiums, but you know what - if I believed my family were safer with me driving I'd pay it. That doesn't mean I/we would never make the odd journey in one, but that's a big difference to scrapping the car and making every journey in one.

A cynic might also suggest that excess financial pressure from the insurance companies would probably just lead to more uninsured drivers on the road, given that not everyone will be willing/able to change car.

It's an interesting technology, but it's got quite a way to go, including real-life testing on a wider range of inhospitable roads.

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