• CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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    2 years ago

    I think you and the author are drawing conclusions that aren’t supported by the quote.

    The engineers stated it’s “nowhere close” to being a finished product which is evident by the fact that it’s only L2 and in beta.

    The DOJ is investigating but we know some of these crashes where from people disregarding the safety features (like keeping your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road) when they crashed, so what comes of the investigation is still up in the air and I think a lot of the motivation is driven by publicity from articles such as this and not necessarily because the system is unsafe to use at all.

    The truth is that nobody has achieved full automation so we don’t know what a full automation suite should look like in terms of hardware and software. The Mercedes system is a joke in that it can only be used on the highway below 40MPH. I dunno what speed limits are where you’re located but in my area all the highways are 55+MPH.

    Furthermore, the robotaxis are being used in places like Vegas where they’re geofenced to premapped city streets in areas where the weather is perfect all year round. The entire industry has a long way to go before anyone reaches a finished product.

    • exscape@kbin.social
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      2 years ago

      I dunno, I think “even today, the software isn’t safe for public road use” is pretty clear-cut and has nothing to do with the level of automation.

      I’m not suggesting anyone else is way ahead though. But I do think that removing all non-visual sensors is an obvious step back, especially in poor weather where visibility may be near zero, but other sensors types could be relatively unimpeded.

      • CmdrShepard@lemmy.one
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        2 years ago

        I think “even today, the software isn’t safe for public road use” is pretty clear-cut and has nothing to do with the level of automation.

        Keep in mind this isnt even a quote and was attributed to someone who doesn’t even work on this tech for the company. What has you convinced it’s unsafe for use now? A few car accidents? What about all the accidents that have been prevented using this same system? You might suggest a ban but if the crash rate or fatality rate increases, haven’t you made conditions less safe on the road?

        The problem with articles like this is they focus on things like “Tesla has experienced 50 crashes in the last 5 years!!” but they don’t include context like the fact that cars without these systems have crash rates 10x higher or more. These systems can still be a net benefit even if they don’t work 100% of the time or prevent 100% of crashes.