[nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets

Thu Apr 11 19:21:20 UTC 2013

I remember hearing something on the radio recently that the NTSB is
totally in favor of self-driving cars because they're a lot safer than
human drivers. From what I've experienced as a pedestrian dealing with
crazy drivers, I have to agree! :)
Patrick

On 4/11/13, Kirt Manwaring <kirt.crazydude at gmail.com> wrote:
> Kaitie,
>   Give it fifteen years, at least.  Licensing these cars in the most
> libertarian of our United States, so that companies with highly
> trained employees can test them is a far, far cry from a license for
> the general public.  Even five or ten years down the road when public
> licenses are finally deemed safe, only the absolute wealthiest people
> will probably be able to afford them.  Even a few years after that,
> when the price will have probably dropped, sight will probably be a
> qualification for these licenses so that the driver can manually
> intervene in the event of technological error.  Imagine being totally
> blind and having your car's guidence computer crash while traveling
> down the interstate at 70 + mph...I'm not saying it will never happen,
> I think it will probably be in our lifetime but it's still a
> looooooooong way off.
>   Best,
> Kirt
>
> On 4/11/13, Peter Donahue <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com> wrote:
>> Good afternoon everyone,
>>
>>     Last night we had some friends over to discuss business
>> opportunities.
>> Whenever such discussions occur the question of what you would do if you
>> had
>>
>> an extra XXXX amount of money to spend. We showed them a video of the
>> blind
>>
>> drivable vehicle on the NFB Web site. We had their full attention the
>> whole
>>
>> time the video ran. We told them that we would like to have such a
>> vehicle
>> once they're licensed and become available to the public and the blind
>> for
>> perches. We also told them that that same technology could with
>> modification
>>
>> enable a blind person to fly their own private jet independently and
>> would
>> give us a tremendous amount of personal freedom.
>>
>>     These vehicles won't be cheap. If you have any desire to own one of
>> them
>>
>> it's best to develop the income required to buy one. Thousands of
>> individuals have fulfilled similar dreams and we as blind people should
>> avail ourselves of such opportunities when they come along to enable us
>> to
>> meet our needs without depending on state VR agencies and others. We're
>> looking forward to having one of these vehicles once we're in position
>> financially and they're available for perches. Dream big!
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Kaiti Shelton" <crazy4clarinet104 at gmail.com>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 12:16 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets
>>
>>
>> Hmmm, I'm thinking grad school in Navada, then a roadtrip back to Ohio
>> in a google car when I'm done.  Surely they can get something together
>> and the kinks worked out in 5 years.  :)
>>
>> On 4/11/13, Brandon Keith Biggs <brandonkeithbiggs at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Hello,
>>> Yes in a way, the logistics of liability still need to be taken into
>>> account
>>>
>>> I'm sure and licensing probably still needs to be worked out, but if the
>>> government officials are pushed, it will happen very soon.
>>> I think the NFB should push for these quite hard. Perhaps they could
>>> even
>>> ask that a car come to the convention, I think Google would take the
>>> challenge.
>>> Thanks,
>>>
>>> Brandon Keith Biggs
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Justin Young
>>> Sent: Thursday, April 11, 2013 9:13 AM
>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Google car takes to the streets
>>>
>>> So does this mean these vehicles will soon be on the market for
>>> individuals to purchase in Nevada?  Sounds like a very interesting
>>> project.
>>>
>>> On 4/11/13, Robert William Kingett <kingettr at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Google's self-driven cars will soon be appearing on Nevada roads after
>>>> the state's Department of Motor Vehicles approved on Monday the
>>>> nation's
>>>> first autonomous vehicle license.
>>>>
>>>> The move came after officials rode along on drives on highways, in
>>>> Carson City neighborhoods and along the famous Las Vegas Strip, the
>>>> Nevada DMV said in a statement.
>>>>
>>>> The Nevada legislature last year authorized self-driven cars for the
>>>> state's roads, the first such law in the United States. That law went
>>>> into effect on March 1, 2012.
>>>>
>>>> Google's self-driven cars rely on video cameras, radar sensors, lasers,
>>>> and a database of information collected from manually driven cars to
>>>> help navigate, according to the company.
>>>>
>>>> The DMV licensed a Toyota Prius that Google modified with its
>>>> experimental driver-less technology, developed by Stanford professor
>>>> and
>>>> Google Vice President Sebastian Thrun.
>>>>
>>>> Google's self-driving cars have crossed the Golden Gate Bridge and
>>>> driven along the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway, according to the
>>>> company.
>>>>
>>>> Autonomous vehicles are the "car of the future," Nevada DMV director
>>>> Bruce Breslow said in a statement. The state also has plans to
>>>> eventually license autonomous vehicles owned by the members of the
>>>> public, the DMV said.
>>>>
>>>> Legislation to regulate autonomous cars is being considered in other
>>>> states, including Google's home state of California.
>>>>
>>>> "The vast majority of vehicle accidents are due to human error. Through
>>>> the use of computers, sensors and other systems, an autonomous vehicle
>>>> is capable of analyzing the driving environment more quickly and
>>>> operating the vehicle more safely," California state Senator Alex
>>>> Padilla said in March when he introduced that state's autonomous car
>>>> legislation.
>>>>
>>>> Other car companies are also seeking self-driven car licenses in
>>>> Nevada,
>>>> the DMV said.
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Kaiti
>>
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>
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