Readers: Driverless Cars Safe For Occupants & Others

I’m very open to the idea of driverless/autonomous vehicles, but as a pedestrian in a wheelchair a recent patent gave me pause:

Google has patented what is essentially a flypaper that sticks pedestrians to a vehicle should they be hit by an autonomous car. The tech giant sees the solution as a way to minimize crash injuries, which it says aren’t caused by the initial collision with the vehicle but when the pedestrian is thrown to the ground after the impact.

The patent describes the solution as a layer of adhesive on the front of a vehicle that pedestrians will stick to in the event of a collision with a vehicle. To prevent other objects from sticking to the adhesive in everyday driving, Google has placed a covering over it that will break in a crash to reveal the adhesive layer that sticks to pedestrians.

Google is the latest to develop a system aimed at reducing pedestrian injuries if a vehicle hits them and is doing so with self-driving cars in mind. Volvo developed a pedestrian airbag, which deploys out of the hood while Jaguar created a system that raises the car’s hood after a collision so that the pedestrian that is hit gets redirected to a softer crumple zone. Neither system, however, addresses the issue of pedestrians experiencing more serious injuries by being thrown off the car. (Motor Trend)

So glad engineers are working on ways to minimize injuries after hitting a pedestrian. Seriously, many new cars sold the last few years have self-stopping technology. This car wasn’t so equipped — though they thought it was.

Ouch!

A couple of guys tested two Volvos that were equipped, but it didn’t always work

Here’s a promotional video from Volvo talking about 100 self-driving vehicles they’ll have on the roads in Gothenburg next year:

Volvo isn’t the only manufacturer working on self-driving technology, Tesla introduced Autopilot in October 2015.

Here’s a young driver who finds it hard getting used to the car driving itself.

The following video went viral  — a guy’s mom behind the wheel. She was a bit more freaked out than the guy above.

Below she says she’s been driving for 50 years.

Generally younger drivers are more open to autonomous features than..uh…more seasoned drivers. But even the young can get freaked out:

Funny videos, but one Tesla owner posted an informative video of his 35-mile commute showing Autopilot in use for 37+ minutes, with just 6+ minutes driven manually.

From 2014:

The poll of 1,033 vehicle owners found 65% of vehicle owners think self-driving cars are a dangerous idea. Yet 61% say they are likely to consider a model with autonomous safety features like park assist and collision avoidance on their next purchase. And by a wide margin, 84% those participating in the survey said safety features take precedence over infotainment. (USA Today)

From 2015:

Self-driving cars may be cool and the wave of the future, and if you believe Elon Musk, human-driven cars could one day be illegal. But many Americans aren’t convinced, with a third of saying they would never buy a self-driving vehicle. That’s among the findings of a new Harris poll on Americans’ attitudes toward autonomous vehicles. The poll surveyed 2,276 adults online and found that, for the most part, we can’t agree on the good and the bad when it comes to self-driving vehicles. More than a third of respondents say these vehicles are the future of driving, while almost one quarter believe the vehicles are something out of a ‘Jetsons’ cartoon. (NBC News)

Which brings me to the results of Sunday Poll:

Q: Do you think driverless cares are safe? For whom?

• Safe for occupants/safe for others 20 [51.28%]
• Safe for occupants/dangerous for others 4 [10.26%]
• Dangerous for occupants/safe for others 0 [0%]
• Dangerous for occupants/dangerous for others 11 [28.21%]
• Unsure/no opinion 4 [10.26%]

I think occupants are pretty safe, but I still worry about pedestrian safety. But it won’t take much to be better than human drivers.

— Steve Patterson