Community Forums

Ljwt330 · 03-20-2018, 09:55 AM

Since my post yesterday, I have learned, through unofficial news sources, that the pedestrian was crossing the highway from the left to right--from the center divider toward the right curb. If that proves to be true, then the sensors on the autonomous vehicle would have had the entire width of the highway to detect an object in the roadway as it approached. The vehicle was in the far right lane. From pictures, the damage to the vehicle was on the right front. That means, if she was crossing from left to right, she had already crossed the direct path of the vehicle when she was hit--she did not "dart out" into the lane. One would think an autonomous vehicle, unlike a human, would constantly be aware of everything in front and not be distracted by focusing on upcoming turns. How could those sensors/cameras not pick up an object crossing in front--before she reached the lane the vehicle was in--and on a collision course?

wa8yxm · 03-20-2018, 10:48 AM

Reading the article. It appears there was a Human Driver there who COULD have taken over... Now I have (Hazard of job) Seen or read reports or interviewed investigators on many many accidents.

Sometimes in a car/ped accident it is not the CAR's fault (Car or Car driver) but the PEDESTRIAN's fault.

Even before I went to work for the Police (Dispatcher) I was aware of a couple (Several in fact) accidents where a person walking along, usually wearing headphones with a "Walkman" type tape player. Walked out less than 20 feet in front of a car. or right under the TRAILER TIRES on a Semi Truck, not the Tractor, the TRAILER.

Nuff said.

aether_one · 03-20-2018, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baraff

And a woman lost her life in the "testing phase". And the "safety driver" did what?
Granted, we don't have full information, but this smells like a giant fail to me.

Personally, I will never ride in an autonomous vehicle. Call me stuck in my ways, but if I'm barreling down the road in a car or RV I want to be in control of it, or at least have someone capable in control.

Too many variables. An earlier post alluded to farm equipment that is partially automated. Well, I can see that when you have a defined path such as a harvester would. Dangers are minimal when compared to the unknown variables on the street.

You'r right; we don't have the full information in this particular case, but we do have information that pedestrians are killed daily by cars with active drivers in them, a lot of times due to no fault of the driver. So until you have all the information in this particular case you don't have the ability to "smell a giant fail".

Mekanic · 03-20-2018, 10:55 AM

It just a matter of time.

325BH · 03-20-2018, 11:12 AM

In emergency situations there isn’t time to “take over.” Had a human been in control all along, the accident may have been prevented.

I’m curious who takes the blame: the human or the car? Do we really want to go down the path of removing a human from the situation and therefore leaving no one to blame? How does insurance work in this situation?

Glenn and Kathy · 03-20-2018, 11:16 AM

Safety driver keeps coming up. If drivers who are actually driving can't pay attention, how can a person who is just along for the ride be expected to pay attention. Yes, they are there for the express purpose of overriding any errors by the car, but after extended time they are going to assume that if nothing has happened yet it isn't likely happen at all.

Glenn

dennis45 · 03-20-2018, 11:21 AM

As said by Mario Andretti, "I hope I'm dead by the time this comes to pass"

Glenn and Kathy · 03-20-2018, 11:29 AM

If you ain't dead before it comes to pass, the odds go way up when it does come to pass.

Glenn

dennis45 · 03-20-2018, 11:55 AM

We are all in this together, There's only one way out.....

Wundertaker · 03-20-2018, 12:32 PM

This and an unknown quantity of many many other changes will come to pass whether you OR I want them too.

Personally, I thank God that I'm 64 and on the back nine with the Clubhouse now in sight!

As for myself, I'm fine with God's plan, however, I am afraid for my Children and Grandchildren, and YOURS!

This world, as we know it, will succeed in destroying itself, morals and ethics, as many of the oldsters here know...are dying off at an alarming rate every day!

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now...

MTK46 · 03-20-2018, 02:32 PM

By what we know from the article a women tried to push a bike across the street. She wasn't in a crosswalk and traffic was coming. Could a car with a driver avoided the accident? Maybe yes maybe no.
These days everyone wants to point fingers at who or whats to blame.
I had a accident two weeks ago first in 55+ years of driving. My insurance sent a letter that they found me 51% at fault. 51% at fault no way I was 100% at fault!

Just glad to know in the over all skeem I'm forgiven.

Wundertaker · 03-20-2018, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTK46

By what we know from the article a women tried to push a bike across the street. She wasn't in a crosswalk and traffic was coming. Could a car with a driver avoided the accident? Maybe yes maybe no.
These days everyone wants to point fingers at who or whats to blame.
I had a accident two weeks ago first in 55+ years of driving. My insurance sent a letter that they found me 51% at fault. 51% at fault no way I was 100% at fault!

Just glad to know in the over all skeem I'm forgiven.

In the Insurance World 51% is a HUGE NUMBER. I hope you're right but it's a little early to find out if your Insurance Company has "forgiven" you. I do hope so...

EdInArk · 03-20-2018, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baraff

And a woman lost her life in the "testing phase". And the "safety driver" did what?
Granted, we don't have full information, but this smells like a giant fail to me.

It's already been stated that there may have been nothing that could possibly have kept the car from hitting the woman. It proves nothing that the safety driver didn't take over and stop the car; she may simply have walked out so close in front of it that it wouldn't have been possible -- no matter what.

Of course we could vastly reduce the accident rate by eliminating all the stupid stuff people do, but that's a pipe dream. People do stupid stuff -- always have, always will.

What's the accident / fatality rate for self-driving cars?
For people-driven cars?
Which is lower?

I ask these in the form of questions because I don't know the answers. Maybe self-driving cars haven't been subject to enough testing yet to compare them.

nothermark · 03-20-2018, 04:05 PM

According to the information available the Police do not think the accident could be avoided. They have dashcam video. Here is a link:

https://arstechnica.com/cars/2018/03...n-fatal-crash/

Note the wishful thinking at the end of the article...