[Quietcars] Google testing car that drives itself

[michael townsend]

Is this a good idea? 

Though it might alleviate accidents, it leaves people to do what they can do
now, and worse.  I have a vivid imagination; however, this may bring up many
law suits if this system "fails" and a pedestrian is struck, or as just
happened in South Jersey, a guide dog handler was struck and killed along
with his Seeing eye dog by a motorist who said that they didn't see him.  

We Americans have become fat ad lazy, and some might argue that this is yet
another step in having something do something for us that we could do
ourselves; an adaptation on the George Bush 43 rhetoric.  

Technology has brought us great advances, but a car should be driven by its
owner, with technology utilized to do that which it can do best; to
supplement a driver in preventing or avoiding accidents, not taking over for
a body  behind the wheel.

Mike T  


> Google testing car that drives itself; Firm says vehicles may prevent 
> traffic accidents
>
> The Toronto Star, October 11, 2010
>
> Google Inc., the company behind the world's largest Internet search 
> engine, has been tinkering with engines of another sort and come up 
> with some futuristic results - a car that drives itself.
>
> Google, in a posting on its official blog, said it has developed the 
> technology and been busy testing a fully automated car that would take 
> the controls out of the hands of distracted drivers, leaving them free 
> to text, eat or apply makeup to their heart's content.
>
> "Our goal is to help prevent traffic accidents, free up people's time 
> and reduce carbon emissions by fundamentally changing car use," Google
blogged.
>
> The automated cars use video cameras, radar sensors and a laser 
> rangefinder to "see" other traffic, as well as detailed maps to 
> navigate the road ahead.
>
> The futuristic autos have already been tested on busy California 
> roadways, including highways, bridges and city streets. The 
> self-driving cars have logged more than 225,000 kilometres, Google said.
>
> All the test runs have had a driver behind the wheel, just in case. 
> The driver can take over as easily as one disengages cruise control, 
> Google said, adding test drives have also included a trained software 
> operator in the passenger seat to monitor the software.
>
> Google said it believes its self-driving cars might one day halve the 
> tens of thousands of traffic fatalities seen in the U.S. each year.
>
> For those ready to shell out hard-earned cash for one of the first 
> self-driving autos, Google said the project "is very much in the 
> experimental stage," providing only "a glimpse" of what transportation 
> might look like in the future.