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In response to reports that their self-driving cars have not been totally free from accidents, Google has created a webpage where it will publish monthly reports detailing all of the accidents that its self-driving cars are involved in.
The first report [PDF] includes summaries of all accidents since the start of the Google X project in 2009:
The report for May showed Google cars had been involved in 12 accidents since it first began testing its self-driving cars in 2009, mostly involving rear-ending. Google said one of its vehicles was rear-ended at a stoplight in California on Thursday, bringing the total count to 13 accidents.
"That could mean that the vehicles tend to stop more quickly than human drivers expect," public interest group Consumer Watchdog said. The group called for more details on the accidents, including statements from witnesses and other drivers.
None of these accidents were caused by a fault with the car, Google said.
Original Submission
(Score: 4, Interesting) by zafiro17 on Monday June 08 2015, @05:42AM
Think what you will about the usefulness of the project. Google should at least get credit for attempting bold things, and for conducting science in a way that seems - to this casual observer at least - relatively transparent. There are scientists out there doing the same thing, but not all of them, and increasingly as science in fields like pharmaceuticals and medicine get consumed by business interests, the work is being done in almost total secrecy. Yeah, yeah, it costs money to develop the next [drug that sounds like Be-agra] blah blah blah. I've got a friend who works for the medical publishing industry and he says it's rotten to the core.
Keep it honest, Google. And get us that automated transport system so the dumbasses I know are no longer responsible for being responsible. My friends are sucky drivers, really. Also, imagine not having to drive your car, how many more enjoyable things you could do with that time:?
PS: this post got flagged for spam and lameness because I used a drug brand name. Seems the lameness filter could use some fine-tuning.
Dad always thought laughter was the best medicine, which I guess is why several of us died of tuberculosis - Jack Handey
(Score: 2, Interesting) by anubi on Monday June 08 2015, @05:56AM
I am behind Google on this one. I am not saying I would freely give up anyone's right to steer his own car any more than I would argue that people can't shift gears when they want to.
I drive a manual car, but I had good reason for wanting a manual car. When I bought it, I lived in mountainous terrain. There were things I knew about the road there was no way an automatic transmission could know about.
I am getting older now, and I personally feel its getting time to delegate my driving to a machine. Actually, I think it would do a better job of it than I can. I could still take over if its some backwater dirt road, but for all this stop-and-go city driving, I had just as soon the machine do it.
I do not think my mom would have tried to outdo her sewing machine either, and I sure as heck appreciate my clothes washing machine.
Google, I wish you the best of luck with this... and I look forward to seeing this in a van. I just hope its available before I am no longer around.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]