Motoring Discussion > Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day Miscellaneous
Thread Author: henry k Replies: 16
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New Thu 9 Nov 17 03:44 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - henry k
www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41923814

Would a driver of the vehicle have avoided the fender bender ?

Last edited by: smokie on Thu 9 Nov 17 at 08:50
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New Thu 9 Nov 17 11:28 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - Cliff Pope
This particular collision appears to have happened even though the bus had stopped - the lorry ran into it - which presumably could have happened anyway.

But I've always said, a major factor is surely going to be that ordinary drivers increasingly start to take more chances when they spot an autonomous vehicle, knowing that it is programmed as a wimp rather than as an assertive human.
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New Thu 9 Nov 17 12:17 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - No FM2R
>>But I've always said, a major factor is surely going to be that ordinary drivers increasingly start to take more chances when they spot an autonomous vehicle, knowing that it is programmed as a wimp rather than as an assertive human.

I'm not sure that it'll be a "major" factor, but I'd guess that you're right and it will happen.

I'd also guess that things will slowly change from the black-magic suspicions on self-driving vehicles to an assumption that if there is an accident then the human driven car is to blame.

I'd also think that in time insurance for human driven vehicles is likely to get a whole lot more expensive.
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New Thu 9 Nov 17 12:23 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - Zero
>> >>But I've always said, a major factor is surely going to be that ordinary drivers
>> increasingly start to take more chances when they spot an autonomous vehicle, knowing that it
>> is programmed as a wimp rather than as an assertive human.
>>
>> I'm not sure that it'll be a "major" factor, but I'd guess that you're right
>> and it will happen.

Its a thought and course of action that had never occurred to me, and thinking about it I am inclined to think about giving autonomous vehicles a wide berth because you can't influence their behaviour!
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New Thu 9 Nov 17 12:59 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - Old Navy
If some drivers play chicken with trains on level crossings and lorries and buses on roundabouts autonomous road vehicles have no chance.
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New Thu 9 Nov 17 14:42 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - Mapmaker
You'd always rather cut up a black cab than a beat-up old private hire car as the black cab can't operate if it's bent. So yes, autonomous vehicles are sitting ducks (IYSWIM).
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New Thu 9 Nov 17 16:26 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - Cliff Pope
Modern motoring is, regretably, often confrontational. If you are trying to get out of a junction in the rush hour you are supposed to wait until someone lets you in. But after a few dozen drivers have ignored you then you have to be more assertive. You pick a weaker-willed looking person and edge out purposefully, hoping he will back down and let you out.
If he is more determined than he looks then he might let you out, but firmly close up the gap to prevent a whole stream of others following you through.
But supposing an autonomous car comes along. It's not going to deliberately risk a collision, as many real drivers do. It will surely back down. And once it has stopped and a stream of real drivers follow through, how will it end?

Another factor that has only just occured to me is that at present, we all acknowledge that other drivers are human. Even though we may be isolated in our boxes, we do interact with other drivers on a human level.
But an autonomous car with no driver, possible not even with anyone in it, is not a human. It is only a machine, it is not going to get out and punch us, it will not follow us and play silly games cutting in and braking hard. It is an impersonal machine, and surely people will feel no qualms about fooling it into stopping and giving way to us?
I sometimes feel generous to a fellow human, and wave someone on or smile and thank them, or get pleasure from being the one who reverses to the passing place. But I'm not going to have any feelings for a computer inside a metal box.
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New Thu 9 Nov 17 16:36 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - Zero

>> Another factor that has only just occured to me is that at present, we all
>> acknowledge that other drivers are human. Even though we may be isolated in our boxes,
>> we do interact with other drivers on a human level.

Yeah, you cant look an Autonomous Vehicle in its LIDAR
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New Thu 9 Nov 17 14:52 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - Robin O'Reliant
>>
>>
>> But I've always said, a major factor is surely going to be that ordinary drivers
>> increasingly start to take more chances when they spot an autonomous vehicle, knowing that it is programmed as a wimp rather than as an assertive human.
>>

I can see a major problem in some of the less desirable parts of our great country, with the local yoof either walking in the road with a long queue of traffic behind them or just forcing a lone driver to stop so they can relieve him or her of a few possessions.
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New Sat 11 Nov 17 16:26 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - Cliff Pope

>>
>> I can see a major problem in some of the less desirable parts of our
>> great country, with the local yoof either walking in the road with a long queue
>> of traffic behind them or just forcing a lone driver to stop so they can
>> relieve him or her of a few possessions.
>>

It's going to be fun teasing these machines. Pranksters who like needlessly pushing pedestrian crossing buttons or playing chicken when crossing the road will love the new opportunities.
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New Sat 11 Nov 17 17:03 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - henry k
If the car in front reverses, will the self drivng chariot honk the horn and also reverse?:-)
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New Sat 11 Nov 17 17:50 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - No FM2R
I doubt it.

I do suspect that its cameras and data recorder will rather resolve any misunderstandings though.

However, isn't it rather sad that in our society these days success or failure of a new idea is determine by whether or not the scum of the country can take advantage of it?

I wonder what it is like to actually be the scum that I so revile. Do they realise that they are scum?
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New Sat 11 Nov 17 18:07 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - sooty123

>> Do they realise that they are scum?
>>

I doubt, they'll convince themselves they're correct and everyone is against them. Hard done to as well, of course.
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New Sat 11 Nov 17 18:35 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - No FM2R
Sadly accurate, I suspect.
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New Mon 13 Nov 17 09:40 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - Mapmaker
They may prove completely useless in London against the 'scum' that is pedestrians and cyclists.

Imagine a stationary self-driving car in front of zebra crossing. As a motorist you have to be quite assertive to get across zebra crossings in London. Eventually the pedestrians will wait to let a car cross. They wouldn't bother letting a computer cross.

Likewise, cyclists doing idiot things will behave a bit when faced with an assertive driver. If faced with a computer they will know they cannot be hit, so they will keep doing silly things.
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New Mon 13 Nov 17 09:47 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - No FM2R
Why do you think pedestrian and cyclists are scum? You really are a peculiar chap.
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New Mon 13 Nov 17 09:47 
 Self-driving shuttle bus in crash on first day - Old Navy
Cyclists may become self defeating if they disrupt the emerging technologies. From being the loved by the Greenwash brigade the may find themselves heavily regulated by the authorities.
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