US launches official probe into Cruise after pair of pedestrian accidents

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has launched an investigation of General Motors' Cruise driverless robo-taxis after a pair of recent pedestrian injuries.  In its preliminary investigation notice [PDF], the NHTSA said that the two accidents - and a separate pair of incidents that were only …

[The Central Scrutinizer]

In the pantheon of catastrophically stupid ideas, so called "self driving" cars is right up there with the worst of them.

Just.......... no, no and NO.

[Martin]

Why not? In the end, it is likely that self-driving cars will be safer than human-driven cars. They won't get tired, distracted or drunk; they will actually improve their driving skills as time goes by, by software updates (compared to people who just get stuck in bad habits). Yes, we need to get over the initial hump of testing, testing, testing - but eventually, they'll come. And, of course, the more self-driving cars on the road, the more they can talk to each other and avoid hitting each other - they don't have to just work via what they see.

I would love to stroll out to my car, sit in it, and say "Take me to M&S, please".

[TimMaher]

Re:-“M&S”

The Dog and Duck surely?

[Martin]

Re: “M&S”

Indeed. What was I thinking? And at the end of the evening, "Pleesh take me home >hic<"

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: “M&S”

I think in there are tales from the days of the horse & cart, and probably more recent examples where a horse/donkey has taken a somewhat inembreated owner back home.

[Francis Boyle]

Yeah

Right behind human driven cars.

[John Brown (no body)]

It doesn't matter how safe they...

..what really matters is who pays up or goes to prison when there's an accident. I think it's right and correct that these investigations and potentially court cases, should be done to get the matter into case law early in the development of self-driving. And no, the corporations responsible should NOT be allowed to "settle out of court" and thus kick the can down the road for years.