GM Announces Autonomously Driven Car

[Eric O]

Originally Posted by Greg Perkins

Ok, here are my views on this controversial topic...

Cars...should we be inventing new and innovative technology? YES. Should we develop a "lazy man/woman" car? ABSOLUTLY NOT. See the way i look at it is, if we cant drive safely now, whats going to happen when a auton car is traveling at 60 doing its own thing and all of a sudden some lunatic swerves to impair the robots sensors and the car gets confused? someones going to end up killed. I also see it as a way for people to get more and more distracted on the highway, ive seen people reading, doing makeup, this one's good...changing a diaper, and etc. It'll. just be an incentive for people to do more stupid things behind the wheel. I agree 100% to what sanddrag had said, and then some.

I was amazed to see the negative response this article has received so far. I think that is a GREAT thing. There is no doubt in my mind that people in these cars may die, or even that it is a fault in the car itself. There are ~40,000 people that die in car accidents every year. If the technology that these cars reduces that rate in any way then I think it is a good thing.

The car companies are always trying to make the vehicles we ride in safer, and I am sure that they would not take the liability of releasing a system that would injure more people than it would save. Engineers are always trying to improve the quality of life by making more useful and safer automobiles.
A common saying comes to mind: 'Design it to be idiot proof, and there will be a bigger idiot.' Its almost like taking the idiot partially out of the equation.
Greg, the reason I wanted to quote your post is because there is some irony involved. Take every 'car' in your post and replace it with 'scooter'. Then take a look at your who am I picture.

I guess my overall point is that new technology is usually safer than old technology, that is why money is put toward designing/building it. I do not feel that the article tells me enough about how the system works for me to say 'that's not safe at all'.

-Eric