Self Driving cars

Unit 2 DB: Technology and the World

Technology changes at a rapid pace. Think about how technology has changed over your lifetime. The way we collaborate, shop, and socialize are just some items that technology have been impacted. Think about the world of transportation and automation in vehicles such as self-driving cars. After you have read the articles provided in the Readings and Resources, decide how you feel about advances in technology, such as self-driving cars – are you “for” or “against” the idea? Please answer the questions below:

• Would you consider self-driving cars to be positive or negative? for society Why or why not?

• I consider self-driving cars on the surface to be a misnomer. As seen in the “Uber Self-Driving Car in Crash” article. In the article it is stated that it was the responsibility of the “safety driver” to engage the braking system which is in complete contradiction of the “Self-Driving” name tag (Beene, 2018). The safety driver then went on to state that she was “monitoring the self-driving interface.” However, evidence of the internal video of the test showed the “safety driver” was not watching the road for long stretches at a time. The article went on showing the blame was shifting from the braking system not engaged to operate to the “safety driver” not only not watching the road but also relied on the system to notify of such obstructions in the travel path of the vehicle to then blaming the victim of the crash by drug testing the victim and NOT the “safety driver.”

• I think that self-driving cars can be a positive, however, just because it is labeled as “self-driving” does not mitigate the responsibility of the human being behind the wheel. Computers are not human, but like humans, computers are not always flawless, especially since they are created by humans.

• Who would benefit from using self-driving cars? Who would not receive the benefit from these cars?

• I do like the idea that people with disabilities would be able still have the freedom to go out into the world and conduct business or be sociable. I just don’t think that the technology is advanced enough for it to be more than marginally safe.

• I believe that with technology such as this and eventually the vehicles being 100 percent automated, I can see how jobs can be impacted. Jobs such as truck drivers (transporting all kinds of goods/materials), or even community bus transit companies losing the drivers because the position would be obsolete since it could be fully automatic by computer software/programs.

• What sort of safety technology should be added to make self-driving cars effective?

• There are many factors to consider when it comes to safety/liability. There should be safety technology to ensure that the car accident in Arizona does not happen again. I would impose a feature where the driver must maintain eye contact forward on the road paying attention for any potential accident. There should be a major warning alarm that sounds if the driver’s gaze/attention on the road is not engaged for 5 seconds, and anytime that is longer than the initial 5 seconds, the car would slow down, and eventually pull over.

• I would also hope that there is some kind of dual child/thief/non-authorized “driver” feature in place so that heaven forbid a child (minor who is not of the age of being legally able to drive) gets behind the wheel and tries to “drive” somewhere.

Sources:

Beene, R., Levin, A., & Newcomer, E. (2018, May 24). Uber self-driving car in crash wasn't programmed to brake. Bloomberg Wire Service Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.postu.idm.oclc.org/docview/2043219455?accountid=39363