Uber self driving cars and you.

[67Monaco]

I'd stay the F clear of them in any location.

Breaking: Uber self-driving car kills pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona

"A woman was killed Sunday night in Tempe, Arizona, after she was hit by a self-driving car operated by Uber. It is the first known pedestrian death caused by a self-driving car.

The woman was crossing the street but was not in the crosswalk, according to reports. According to a statement issued by Tempe police obtained by the New York Times, a human safety driver was at the wheel when the car was operating autonomously. The driver and the car failed to react in time to prevent the fatality."

 

[Carmine]

I feel bad for the woman and her family. Unfortunately her name with be the answer to a trivia question in 2058

I hope her family becomes very visibly wealthy and uses some of the cash for a media campaign.

Story came on the radio as I type.

 

[traintech55]

Having been in the transportation industy all my life self driving cars are something I am against. People need to work and driving for Uber is a great way to make money. Unfortunatly more people will have to lose their lives before this stupid thing goes away.

 

[rapidtrans]

I’ve used Uber twice. Both times the vehicle was a mess inside as if the driver lived in the car.
Smelled like a combination locker room & dumpster. Who’s gonna clean out a driverless car between fares? I’ll stick My Car or Metro Car.

 

[Jeff]

I hate the idea of self-driving cars too, but I don't think it is going to go away unless there is some sort of cataclysm such as a depression. It will be interesting to see statistics comparing pedestrian deaths per miles driven between self-driving and regular cars. More than 5,000 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in 2015 so there is a lot of room for improvement.

 

[rapidtrans]

I hate the idea of self-driving cars too, but I don't think it is going to go away unless there is some sort of cataclysm such as a depression. It will be interesting to see statistics comparing pedestrian deaths per miles driven between self-driving and regular cars. More than 5,000 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes in 2015 so there is a lot of room for improvement.

I think it’ll take a big public injury lawsuit too slow down self-driving cars. Same thing with texting and driving. If i get hit again by one of these idiots texting behind the wheel i’m hiring Jeffrey Fieger. He’d love a big public personal injury case.

 

[Carmine]

I think it’ll take a big public injury lawsuit too slow down self-driving cars. Same thing with texting and driving. If i get hit again by one of these idiots texting behind the wheel i’m hiring Jeffrey Fieger. He’d love a big public personal injury case.

Geoffrey; like the bankrupt giraffe.

Anyway... I agree with you and I wonder why a lawyer hasn't added a cell phone provider to a lawsuit yet. The tech exists to shut them down when in motion (or require the same type of annoying disclaimer auto nav systems use).

 

[jct]

i want my flying cars we're in the age of the jetsons but theres not apt complexes in the clouds yet and no flying cars

 

[Fratzog]

Whoever was responsible for permitting this unproven technology on the road should be strung up by the short and curlies.

 

[JC68vert300]

Unfortunately the auto industry, as innovative as it can be, has ALWAYS rushed new technology to the market to be the first to do it and get the accolades and publicity. Let's remember the early fuel injections that were a nightmare. The Cadillac V 8-6-4, the cylinder deactivation system that was abysmal. That is the pain in my stomach today with autonomous and flying cars that are in all the car magazines as the must haves of the future.

 

[FURYGT]

Let me first say that I spent 20+ years handling lawsuits and injury claims for several insurance companies. I currently work as an insurance agent for an independent insurance agency (please don't hate the insurance guy).

This is what I want to know. These self-driven cars have to have algorithms etc. programed into the computers to help them decide what to do. Let's say that a self-driven car is northbound on a 2 lane road and is right next to a southbound 18 wheeler when a small child runs out in front of the self driven car with the parents standing at the curb panic stricken. The car can't swerve to the left because the 18 wheeler is there. What is the self-driven car going to do? Is it going to hit the child because it is only one person or is it going to swerve hard to the right and hit the parents because it can distinguish between a child and an adult even though it means hitting 2 people vs. 1. Someone has to program this type of decision making into these cars and don't you think attorneys would love to have such a case where the programing of the car made a decision on who to hit based on some type of risk analysis? How different is this from a vehicle manufacturer deciding that it is cheaper to pay of claims for those injured or killed instead of recalling and fixing a million cars?

Want to be scared even more? Self-driving 18 wheelers are out there being tested.

BTW, juries are starting to give BIG awards to people hurt in accidents by people who cause an accident due to distracted driving from cell phone use and you know who pays for that? All of us. Insurance rates my state went up substantially in 2017 because of distracted driving. Cars are getting safer but the number of accidents is increasing because of cell phone use.

 

[Big_John]

i want my flying cars we're in the age of the jetsons but theres not apt complexes in the clouds yet and no flying cars

Ever think about if the Jetsons is actually post-nuclear apocalypse and they are in the sky to escape while the Flintstones are living in the rubble on the surface of Earth?

It makes a lot of sense when you think about it... The Flintstones have 60's music, Christmas (think BC), sophisticated economy etc. The Flintstones are blue collar, working class folk and the Jetsons are well to do with a maid for their condo. The class of the elite get to live and work in the clouds while the proletariat have to slug it out in the quarry.

 

[jct]

now that totally blows my mind @_@

 

[Davea Lux]

Ever think about if the Jetsons is actually post-nuclear apocalypse and they are in the sky to escape while the Flintstones are living in the rubble on the surface of Earth?

It makes a lot of sense when you think about it... The Flintstones have 60's music, Christmas (think BC), sophisticated economy etc. The Flintstones are blue collar, working class folk and the Jetsons are well to do with a maid for their condo. The class of the elite get to live and work in the clouds while the proletariat have to slug it out in the quarry.

Would not those clouds be full of nuclear waste?

Dave

 

[Big_John]

Would not those clouds be full of nuclear waste?

Dave

It would settle to the earth. That would also explain the talking animals and dinosaurs.

 

[Davea Lux]

If you think about it, an AI that is sophisticated enough to avoid other cars, road hazards and pedestrians could probably be "hacked" and programmed to run people down. I fear that this tech will probably end badly.

Dad

 

[Carmine]

March 19, 2018: Uber becomes self-aware.

 

[cantflip]

Self driving is going to win. The only way I see the accident statistics not driving this into a mandatory situation is if the cell phone gets legislated to shut the screen down while moving. Of course there will be more effort to hack and bypass that safety feature than there is to drive in the first place.

@FURYGT , I am interested to know if the big awards ever pay out to more than the attorney? A big judgement is worth little if you can't collect. I'm thinking the next big hit from behind will be a life changing event for me, but I'm equally certain that I need it to be a fat commercial policy to get paid enough to take care of me afterward. Around here, IDK how many even have valid insurance, let alone more than minimum coverage.

 

[rapidtrans]

Geoffrey; like the bankrupt giraffe.

Anyway... I agree with you and I wonder why a lawyer hasn't added a cell phone provider to a lawsuit yet. The tech exists to shut them down when in motion (or require the same type of annoying disclaimer auto nav systems use).

I figure Jeffrey would go after everyone. Their cell provider. Caller's employer if it's a business call. Auto maker if car didn't have hands-free etc.

 

[FURYGT]

Self driving is going to win. The only way I see the accident statistics not driving this into a mandatory situation is if the cell phone gets legislated to shut the screen down while moving. Of course there will be more effort to hack and bypass that safety feature than there is to drive in the first place.

@FURYGT , I am interested to know if the big awards ever pay out to more than the attorney? A big judgement is worth little if you can't collect. I'm thinking the next big hit from behind will be a life changing event for me, but I'm equally certain that I need it to be a fat commercial policy to get paid enough to take care of me afterward. Around here, IDK how many even have valid insurance, let alone more than minimum coverage.

Cantflip, Typically, on injury cases the attorney get's 1/3 of the settlement + expenses incurred. Some states use a sliding scale for attorney's fees so that, for example, the attorney would only get 20% of any award over $5 million.

I have seen figures that put around 20% of all drivers in the US do not have insurance. In addition, there is a very high percentage of drivers that have insurance that only carry the state's minimum injury liability limit which can range from $15k to $25k which is peanuts. Think about how much income you would loose if a not your fault auto accident put you out of work for six-months. This is why you need to buy high Uninsured/Underinsured motorist insurance limits along with a stacking option if available in your state.

An article in the Hartford Courant six or so months ago on jury awards on cell phone use related accidents talked about million dollar awards on cases that would normally get an award that was 10 - 20 % of a million.

Collecting can be a big problem as most people today carry auto injury liability limits of $100k/$300k, which is grossly inadequate and was the recommended limit back in the mid 1980's. While it is unlikely that the average driver would have enough insurance coverage for a $1 million award, many attorneys will go after your assets and at the very least file a judgment against you, which means this will be on your credit report and you won't be able to get credit.