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RandomFactor [soylentnews.org] writes:

Five Reasons [dailymail.co.uk] are provided by the U.K. DailyMail on why we won't be seeing autonomous cars, which often drive like a Zamboni on lithium, take over any time soon.

Snow and Weather

Heavy snow, rain, fog and sandstorms can obstruct the view of cameras. Light beams sent out by laser sensors can bounce off snowflakes and think they are obstacles.

Radar can see through the weather, but it doesn't show the shape of an object needed for computers to figure out what it is.

Pavement Lines and Curbs

Across the globe, roadway marking lines are different, or they may not even exist. Lane lines aren't standardized, so vehicles have to learn how to drive differently in each city.

Dealing with Human Drivers

For many years, autonomous vehicles will have to deal with humans who don't always play by the rules.

Left Turns

Deciding when to turn left in front of oncoming traffic without a green arrow is one of the more difficult tasks for human drivers and one that causes many crashes. Autonomous vehicles have the same trouble.

Consumer Acceptance

The fatal Uber crash near Phoenix last year did more than push the pause button on testing.

It also rattled consumers who someday will be asked to ride in self-driving vehicles.

Surveys taken after the Uber crash showed that drivers are reluctant to give up control to a computer.

I fully intend to spend my twilight years relaxing in relative safety while the car drives me around, I'm gonna be torqued if they take too long.

Original Submission