this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2023
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Driverless cars are certainly less error-prone overall than human operated ones. Distraction, sleepiness, intoxication, hubris, and other common "human error" causes of accidents are eliminated. Now we're seeing, though, that human beings - even pretty average ones - are still able to make better judgments in unique situations.
Because the recent incidents have been so laughably stupid from a human perspective, the instinct is to doubt the accuracy of driverless cars in all situations. The robots are able to do the comparatively simple things extremely well. It's just the more complex things they still have trouble with - so far. They're still safer than human operators, and will only continue to get better.
Humans make the same mistakes though. Backup cameras were added to cars because humans kept running over people, especially kids. People block emergency vehicles all the time.
Yes, the automation will always have room for improvement, but the current 'newsworthy' incidents are rarely in the news when humans do the exact same thing.
I would be pretty confused as well if someone ran up to my car and stuck a traffic cone on it.
Would you sit stopped in traffic for 20 minutes looking dumbfounded?
I would if I couldn't get out of the car and remove it.