Bowyn Aerrow Wrote:Most accidents are caused by human error... So without that there there should be far less accidents.
That's a good point. I've seen all sorts of insane behavior. I think my "favorite" was when I was using the crosswalk carrying groceries while I had the right of way on a completely empty street. A guy in a truck drives up and
stares down an empty street as he turns so that I was forced to leap aside with my grocery bags bursting. Suffice to say I wasn't in a forgiving mood as he yelled "sorry" out his window and kept driving.
And there are lots of flagrant disrespect for traffic laws. And whatever the reason, tens of thousands die from car accidents every year in the US alone and that doesn't include all left injured (who may lose their job as a result) and disabled. I expect even if my fears came true of criminals and reckless pranksters messing with their cars (and other things that can go wrong) it would still be less than the mayhem we already have.
And I just recalled the Fourth of July drunks who knocked by trashcan into the street by parking on the sidewalk and made obscene comments to me as I got it out of the street. I regretted not calling the police after they tore out of there drunk in their pickup again a little later. Wouldn't have been a problem if it was automated without option to drive (or forced a breathalyzer before starting).
Still, I bet if enough safety features were put into them to stop crashing that many bicyclists and even pedestrians, skaters, etc, would become even more the idiotic jerks that they can also be ("sure, I'll cut this car off though I'm required by law to stop, it will automatically stop and can't chase me").