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Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark
Don't know much about carshare, but I am curious in how it deals with damage or soiling of the car... i.e. what happens if somebody backs it into a tree and doesn't report it, or spills an entire coffee on the seat. Where's the proof that you didn't do it if you are the next one who gets it?
Regarding autonomous vehicles, I'm still skeptical on the timeline set forth by some of the manufacturers and advocacy groups. There's a whole lot of technology there that has to work perfectly in all situations to avoid killing people or just stopping in the middle of the road when it faults out... lots of liability to be had, and I don't think there is anywhere near agreement by the governing entities on how the legalities and responsibilities will pan out.
I can appreciate how people are drawn towards alternate methods of transportation, but surely there must be some people here who actually enjoy driving and perfecting the craft... Maybe I'm alone in this forum, but I just can't help but appreciate skillful driving, and enjoy trying to perfect my own skills as such. Car expenses are something I am happy to spend money on as it affords such freedom and enjoyment, but I get it for those who are not so inclined... to each his/her own.
But, for those who may still enjoy the act of driving one's own vehicle, I respectfully present Ken Block's latest... please don't try this on public roads (unless they are barricaded off as they are in these videos)!
Ken Block |
I think the liability issue will be the trickiest one. The current technology is already arguably as safe or safer than the average human driver, although we've set a pretty low bar -- approximately 2 MILLION lives have been lost in the US alone due to motor vehicle accidents in the past 50 years. A mark that not even gun deaths can match over the same time period, which is really saying something.
It's really going to represent a monumental shift over the next 10, 20, 30 years and will have a major impact on where people live and work as commutes will become greatly simplified and parking concerns will be virtually irrelevant. Traffic flow will be vastly improved due to the superior data that the software has at its disposal with regard to the road network, the ability for each car to communicate with one another, and the greater capacity that the existing roads will have due to cars no longer having to waste valuable space for parking.