First self driving (reported) fatality

[jefmcg]

Apparently about 1000 die on Arizona roads each year, but illogically I find this one troubling
Self-driving Uber kills Arizona woman in first fatal autonomous car crash

 

[Bazzer]

So what was the operator inside the vehicle doing at the time?

 

[numbnuts]

So what was the operator inside the vehicle doing at the time?

On his/her mobile

 

[jefmcg]

On his/her mobile

Possibly, but I would certainly find it harder to concentrate on the road if I didn't have to. It's easy for attention to drift even without distraction.

I wonder how often human intervention has prevented this sort of tragedy in the trials? I wouldn't put it past Uber to keep running the tests after collisions have been avoided, and only stopped them now a fatality has occurred, that they can't cover up.

 

[Tin Pot]

The answer is no we won’t.

It won’t matter if there are statistically less deaths, people aren’t rational beings.

 

[mjr]

[QUOTE 5187206, member: 9609"]To judge the incident we would need to know the full facts and see some video (which hopefully we wont get to see) , the pedestrian may have suddenly and unexpectedly stepped out, it may not have been preventable by even the carefullest and skilled driver.[/QUOTE]
I seriously doubt she was fired into the car's way by a cannon or similar.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Pedestrians are expected to step out into the road. It is what they do when they want to get to the other side.

 

[Milzy]

Someone should be charged with manslaughter.

 

[fossyant]

Someone should be charged with manslaughter.

Uber !! Could be very serious actually.

 

[mickle]

Just as I predicted!

(No-one ever listens to me. *rolls eyes*)

 

[slowmotion]

I think I would rather take my chances on the road with fallible human drivers than put my life in the hands of a spotty Silicon Valley software geek with limited life experience and an unrealistic faith in the algorithms that he's been asked to code that afternoon.

 

[Inertia]

I think I would rather take my chances on the road with fallible human drivers than put my life in the hands of a spotty Silicon Valley software geek with limited life experience and an unrealistic faith in the algorithms that he's been asked to code that afternoon.

I'm sure you will be relieved to know that More thought, time and effort has gone into it than some imaginary geek in an afternoon.

That said, I think an uber smart car is the last self diving car iwould choose to be in

 

[DCLane]

The danger here is not that someone's died but that legislation follows which outlaws from roads anything a self-driving car would struggle to avoid, i.e. pedestrians, horses, cyclists. It's potentially a massive industry and we are (literally) in their way.

 

[rualexander]

The images I saw showed a damaged bike lying on the pavement (sidewalk) beside the robot car, so was the pedestrian a cyclist who was walking at the time they decided to cross the road?

 

[mjr]

The images I saw showed a damaged bike lying on the pavement (sidewalk) beside the robot car, so was the pedestrian a cyclist who was walking at the time they decided to cross the road?

Yes. The police have started blaming the victim for not using a crosswalk, suggesting she was homeless and jumped out. https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/19/17140936/uber-self-driving-crash-death-homeless-arizona