Ray From Cleveland
Diamond Member
- Aug 16, 2015
- 97,215
- 37,438
First of all, the current death rate is incredibly small, considering how many people are driving.
About 30,000 deaths a year.
That is out of almost 300 million cars.
That is 0,001%.
Second is that you can't rely on sensors, but need full image processing.
That is because you need to differentiate between paper blowing n the wind, a stationary lamppost, and a child.
In fact, you need to know if there is a puncture threat in the road, if you are headed towards a curb or a shadow, etc.
Current systems rely on GPS or divider lines, neither of which is practical in real life.
So they are just fake, staged events.
But even if you could rely on sensors instead of full image recognition, what happens when they burn out, get dusty, etc.?
The redundancy, maintenance, and certification would have to be like that for a multi million dollar airplane.
I'm claiming they will never be remotely safe, and mass transit is a much cheaper and safer alternative.
If we spent a reasonable amount on mass transit, comparted to all the resources we waste on cars, then mass transit would be much easier, faster, cheaper, and safer.
If you ever had to get around in Boston, it shows that mass transit can be done very well, if one has the political will to do so.
The only thing against mass transit is that cars and fuel for them generates more profits.
Wrong because nobody wants mass transit. That's why government has to subsidize it. In the early 1900's Hoover campaigned on a chicken in every pot and a car in every driveway as a promise to move this country forward. What you're talking about is moving the country backwards which most won't accept.
I used mass transit when I was a kid, and let me tell you, nothing is worse up north than standing out in the blowing snow waiting for a stupid bus, then only having to get off at another bus stop, freeze your ass off there to do the same thing again. We don't want to live that way. When I'm in the mood to drink a couple of beers, I want to be able to jump in my car at will and get it, or anything else I may desire.
So that brings us back to personal transportation. If a sensor burns out, your car will have a spare sensor and alert you that the main sensor needs attention. The safety of such cars will be determined by our highway bureaucracies and insurance companies. Newer cars are already using sensors to warn us of a vehicle next to us at lane changes or bring the car to a complete stop when it senses a non moving object in front of your vehicle. They also alert the driver when they are backing up too close to an object like another parked car behind you.
It's coming, it's just a matter of when.