This is interesting, especially in the seeming forthcoming era of driverless cars. I might be called a Luddite, but I would no more sit in a driverless car than an aircraft without a pilot.
Who’s Liable?
- Thread starter Mazza
- Start date
Quite agree!
In fact I seem to be gradually buying into older cars as all the modern electronics (and by trade I'm an electronics engineer) on modern motors is a real negative.
A friend got a car with auto parking. He was impressed with how it worked and keep try to get it to auto park in smaller and smaller spaces. Eventually he found a really tight parking space and the system performed perfectly, however, it was so tight he couldn't get the car out!
The technology is incredible in what it can do, but, it’s always the driver that has to take responsibility. They will always be liable. There will be a disclaimer somewhere saying that the driver always has to be ready to assume control in case of an error or fault.
I suspect that only where all cars involved are communicating with each other that might allow some higher level of autonomy. Even then protecting the car from random actions of Darwin Award candidates will still prove a challenge.
To ensure high reliability all sensors have to be self-checking. Going to aircraft levels of duplication or majority voting triplicated redundancy will be too expensive to allow 100% autonomy.
I suspect that only where all cars involved are communicating with each other that might allow some higher level of autonomy. Even then protecting the car from random actions of Darwin Award candidates will still prove a challenge.
To ensure high reliability all sensors have to be self-checking. Going to aircraft levels of duplication or majority voting triplicated redundancy will be too expensive to allow 100% autonomy.
I think the driver is always liable
Most cars even have warnings to state this
Most cars even have warnings to state this
@Mazza, '..a shoe box in the middle of the road.' You lucky barsteward, we didn't have a road or shoebox, just a 'ole int' ground.
Must agree with some others though, especially concerning all the 'dashboard tech' on new cars. If driving using a mobile phone is a distraction (which of course it is) what about all the stuff that I see drivers looking at now.
Plus agree with the comment about a dipstick, the BMW 325i I had didn't have one and it was very unclear how low the oil was or how much oil to top up with using the electronic 'gauge'.
Must agree with some others though, especially concerning all the 'dashboard tech' on new cars. If driving using a mobile phone is a distraction (which of course it is) what about all the stuff that I see drivers looking at now.
Plus agree with the comment about a dipstick, the BMW 325i I had didn't have one and it was very unclear how low the oil was or how much oil to top up with using the electronic 'gauge'.
Shame
Same on my truck mate and it's rubbish.
My Citroen C4 has park assist and numerous other gimmicks:- Intelligent cruise control, sends some sort of beam ahead and matches speed with the vehicle ahead. Lane deviation, which tugs the drivers seat belt if you leave a lane without signalling. Auto lights, headlights dip for oncoming vehicles. Loads more including massage seats. It all works perfectly BUT the engine broke down.
Cars with reversing cameras give a warning as you select reverse to check surroundings before moving.
Tony.
Tony.
And it announces to the entire neighbourhood...
“WARNING - Doddering old t*t reversing!”
We have a guy comes in with a Hyundai Terracan and he's fitted a reversing beeper you would fit to an HGV. I bet his neighbours love him.
Tony.
Tony.
@roadvoyager1 quote: "A friend got a car with auto parking. He was impressed with how it worked and keep try to get it to auto park in smaller and smaller spaces. Eventually he found a really tight parking space and the system performed perfectly, however, it was so tight he couldn't get the car out!"
Most men think in terms like this................................hmmmmmmmmmmm............Frankie
What you don’t see in the smart car video, is the pile of dead kids (from carbon monoxide poisoning) where he practiced this manoeuvre
My lad has an Xbox game all about fishing, well, it's quite narrow on the species as it's only about CODHaha, love it, turning into a right grumpy old git thread ....
One Christmas I was given the PC game 'Band Of Brothers', gave it about 15 mins then lobbed it in a draw where it still is to this day.
Beg to differ old chap, my dear old mum RIP, had a washing machine back in the late 50's before I was born.
That thing lasted for years, unlike the crap we buy these days.
Never forget back in the mid 90's at work, a German customer and friend of mine, turned up and proudly showed us his brand new BMW.
Told us all about the new gadgets the car had and pointed out the parking sensors in the rear bumper, visible in those days.
He offered to show us how they worked by reversing up against a wall.
They worked OK, went off after he hit the wall ....
Ponder this for a moment. The less you use something the weaker it becomes.
Now when was the last time you used a map to navigate your route ? Could you even ? It’s amazing how many people get lost when the Sat Nav goes wrong.
Like most things in life skills. Navigation, parking, even the skill of driving is being taken away from the average human.
When did you last ask someone if they know what gear braking is. So if the brakes fail, what do you do ? Another lost skill.
Rant over lol.
Now when was the last time you used a map to navigate your route ? Could you even ? It’s amazing how many people get lost when the Sat Nav goes wrong.
Like most things in life skills. Navigation, parking, even the skill of driving is being taken away from the average human.
When did you last ask someone if they know what gear braking is. So if the brakes fail, what do you do ? Another lost skill.
Rant over lol.
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BMW quote in their ligature that the driver has final responsibility.