Mike, when you bought any vehicle, did they train you on how to use it? NO. They educate you on the features that come with the vehicle (unless you preempt the pre-delivery review). They don’t train you how to drive, do they? Did they ask you to produce training records before they let you drive off in it? They don’t need to train someone how to use any feature of the car. They educate you on it’s function and inform you of any limitations, precautions etc. That’s the limit of their responsibility.
What’s missing more and more from society is the acceptance of personal responsibility (and plain old common sense but that’s another story). The owner bears responsibility for reading the owner’s manual and asking questions if they do not understand some feature. These people are examples of those that have more money than brains…
You’re right they DON’T train you when you buy a new car…that’s the point. This isn’t a feature like intermittent wiper blades. This is a whole new way of driving a vehicle that can have profound effects on how well you perform.
They educate you on it’s function and inform you of any limitations, precautions etc. That’s the limit of their responsibility.
Tesla is trying to have it both ways: they’re calling it “Autopilot” with Musk boasting publicly the car can drive itself (almost) from LA to Seattle. But then they’re warning drivers never to take their hands off the wheel. Huh?
So there’s a bit of double-speak going on here. If you don’t want people to ever take their hands off the wheel, don’t design a car that invites people to do just that. Otherwise why are you building self-steering into the car?
It’s like giving drivers a cruise control that works safely 50% of the time (when lane lines are clearly visible, not in bright sun, etc) but can kill you the other 50% of the time (in bright sun, when lane lines aren’t clear, etc).
The more I learn about Autopilot, the less I want to be on the road with anyone using it. In the MotorTrend video I posted above, it almost crashed twice.
People keep assuming this is a finished product and make WRONG assumptions accordingly. It’s a totally new technology that’s in its infancy that is constantly evolving. Let’s pass final judgement in 10 years when the technology is ready for prime time.
Therein lies the problem. It isn’t a whole new way of driving. You’re supposed to stay alert and ready to take control back not lay back and play games. In reality, it’s one step above cruise control. I agree the naming convention is partially to blame. Again, educating people about what it can and more importantly, cannot do, is paramount.
Mike, any partial system like Tesla’s autopilot is doomed to failure.
You cannot depend on the driver keeping 100% of his/her attention on the road and the tactical situation (the cars around, etc) when the car is (mostly) driving itself.
That is just not human nature. If the car seems to be driving itself, the person in the driver’s seat is going to relax his attention, listen to music, talk to someone, etc. And that means disaster if an emergency pops up.
That is just not human nature. If the car seems to be driving itself, the person in the driver’s seat is going to relax his attention, listen to music, talk to someone, etc. And that means disaster if an emergency pops up.
Bill summed it up very nicely there. The system is designed to allow people to pay less attention to the road, and therefore most drivers will, no matter what you tell them. That is human nature. Heck, there’s a large number of drivers out there who can’t pay attention even without an autopilot.
That may be OK in 10 years when truly self-driving technology is perfected, but it’s a recipe for disaster when you put an imperfect system into a car and then expect people not to rely on it.
These systems are in their beta testing stage still. Problems should be expected. Nothing comes right out of the design chute perfect. These “beta test” vehicles were not offered to the general public. They were sold to selected applicants who know they’re driving vehicles under test. I seriously doubt if I’ll see a truly self-driving car in my lifetime. At least not in a blizzard.
Training teaches someone what to do in a specific event. Someone trained to drive knows to let the clutch out to make the car go.
Teaching teaches them why the event happens. Someone taught well knows that letting the clutch out allows the clutch plate to be sandwiched between the pressure plate and the flywheel, and it then turns the tranny input shaft via splines in the shaft and the clutch’s center.
Okay, maybe those aren’t great examples. But it’s the best I can do without a white board. I’m a good teacher. I’m a terrible trainer. I can show someone why something happens. I have great difficulty training somebody to do “B” when “A” happens and getting it to “take”. I think it’s genome’s fault.
I think self driving technology should be employed where it will really be appreciated. Lawn mowers. Sit inside and watch the game while the lawn mower goes about its business outside and parks itself when finished.
@B.L.E.
“I think self driving technology should be employed where it will really be appreciated. Lawn mowers. Sit inside and watch the game while the lawn mower goes about its business outside and parks itself when finished.”
By the way, they sell those, now.
I don’t desire a self-driving mower as much as a self-driving snow blower that I could watch from inside the house at 10 below zero outside. CSA
"But I wouldn’t mind cities like Boston having all driving cars"
Mike, I have no doubt this will eventually happen. Johnny-cabs are in our future. But not in my lifetime. It’ll be decades yet.
I know a guy who says if you want a licensed and really good therapist, that is very often the going rate
If you can’t pay that, then you just get an intern, student, etc.
Medicine, counseling, therapy, etc. can all be VERY expensive
as a public employee, my benefits are quite generous. There are some things I’ve got going on, I wouldn’t be able to afford it if I were working somewhere else. There are some guys doing public service work, the salary is almost arbitrary. The real reason they took the job is the benefits. Obviously, if you have a family with 2 or 3 kids, and maybe you, the spouse or one of the kids has something going on, it’s totally worth it
Back to cars . . . I loved that scene in “Total Recall” where Arnold Schwarzenegger tears off the robotic driver and operates the car himself. The reboot with Colin Farell was quite mediocre, IMO
Isn’t it funny how not ALL “futuristic” movies feature self-driving cars . . . ?
I’m definitely in the wrong line of work. Should’a been a therapist. I’d probably make just as good a therapist as General George Patton. “SHUT UP YOU COWARDLY CRYBABY!”
Here we are in the future, 2016. Where are the bubble domed flying cars that go “nee-nee-nee-nee-nee…” we were supposed to be driving while the studio orchestra played “Happy Go Lively” in the background?
Aren’t we suppose to be wearing Fedoras and smoking pipes while our wives dressed in A-line dresses?
jesmed1: That is why I still prefer M/T vehicles. They keep me more involved and focused on driving. You will never find me with a shifter in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and the steering wheel on it’s own.
