No More Driving 2036

[Aspen500]

It all started going downhill with the introduction of the restrictor plate.

............and when the cars all started looking exactly the same except for the grille and make stickers on the front. The beginning of the end really started when the cars weren't built from actual stock cars anymore but were nothing but a tube chassis with sort of stock appearing sheet metal. That's one reason I like watching the road racing. The cars start out as cars anyone could buy (if the had enough money). Some, aside from safety additions like a cage, etc... really are STOCK cars. Plus, the drivers aren't rednecks. Don't think I've ever seen a fight in that type of racing.

 

[kkritsilas]

I suppose everybody has heard of the first fatality with a Tesla S in Autopilor mode. Article is here:

Self-driving cars record first U.S. death after man killed in Florida collision | Toronto Star

In the words of Andreas Katsular, the Narn leader in Bablylon 5, in a very deep and solemn voice"

"And so, it begins"

All I can forsee is a vast horde of lawyers getting rich. I can only imagine how many insurance companies will be getting involved. I would think at least 7 (car insurance, truck insurance, life insurance for the deceased, business insurance for the company that owned the semi, Tesla Liability, Trailer manufacturer liability, and probably the company that made the cameras/vision system for Tesla). There are probably more. This will make make many, many lawyers very rich, and probably take years to resolve all of the claims. This could very well put a damper on self driving cars unitl all of the issues get resolved.

 

[Dr Lebaron]

According to Tesla’s recounting of the collision, a tractor trailer crossed a highway on which Brown was driving, and the truck’s white side combined with a bright sun kept the autopilot system as well as the driver from noticing the oncoming danger.

“The high ride height of the trailer combined with its positioning across the road and the extremely rare circumstances of the impact caused the Model S to pass under the trailer, with the bottom of the trailer impacting the windshield of the Model S,” the blog post reads. “Had the Model S impacted the front or rear of the trailer, even at high speed, its advanced crash safety system would likely have prevented serious injury as it has in numerous other similar incidents.”

 

[Dr Lebaron]

But here we just had a 11 vehicle pile up killing 4 and 7 vehicle pile up killing one.
Both were truckers playing 'bowling for dollars' and going for the strike.

They could use automatic braking or self driver's

 

[Dr Lebaron]

I wish I had stupid money.
I'd get 10 of each, Furd, Cheby, Toy-Yoda and Mopar off the show room floor, take them to a superspeedway and see who can win a 500 mile race.

 

[kkritsilas]

I read the article. My point is that now all sorts of lawsuits will start flying from every direction. Things like defects in the vision system, how come the trailer was painted pure white, why did the Tesla take so long/didn't alert driver, is Tesla releasing technology (Autopilot) with design defects, and so on, for forever and a day. A person died, all of the insurance companies want to avoid paying out of their own pockets, so they will sue everything in sight to avoid paying out.