Would Driverless Semis Be Safer Than Self Driving Cars?

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

These stories seem contradictory:

U.S. News // 11 minutes ago
NHTSA opens investigation into Ford's hands-free driving tech after multiple deaths
April 29 (UPI) -- The NHTSB has begun an investigation into Ford Motor Company's BlueCruise driver-assisted technology after multiple fatalities had been linked to the software's use.​

Tractor-trailers with no one aboard? The future is near for self-driving trucks on US roads

Late this year, Aurora Innovation Inc. plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks.

apnews.com

 

[feralkid]

Not a chance.

Some future date, hopefully.

 

[Stokely]

The correct comparison is: self-driving vehicles vs distracted "I can't bear to not text for five minutes" meatsacks driving pickups with hoods they can't even see over.

My coworker and his kid somehow just walked away from an accident where their vehicle rolled several times after being hit by some moron who just went right through a stop sign.

I reckon being better than human "drivers" won't be a super high mark to beat. Drivers actually paying attention, well that would be a different thing but I don't expect that to happen at this point. Look around at a stop light at all the aholes glued to their phones.

 

[Fenixgoon]

It's important to note the Aurora vehicles are highway only. A lot of the difficulty with self-driving is in low-speed city driving. Not that there aren't challenges with highway driving, but the amount for visual information is way more inside an urban/suburban area

Edit: also there is the issue of inclement weather. Rain might not be too bad for their systems, but I imagine anything resembling a northern climate and any appreciable amount of snow is currently a deal breaker for autonomous trucks

 

[pete6032]

It's important to note the Aurora vehicles are highway only. A lot of the difficulty with self-driving is in low-speed city driving. Not that there aren't challenges with highway driving, but the amount for visual information is way more inside an urban/suburban area

Edit: also there is the issue of inclement weather. Rain might not be too bad for their systems, but I imagine anything resembling a northern climate and any appreciable amount of snow is currently a deal breaker for autonomous trucks

Don't they use road lines to see where they are going? Not sure how they could navigate in blizzard.

 

[skyking]

Don't they use road lines to see where they are going? Not sure how they could navigate in blizzard.

they have sensors that pick up the same visual cues we do, only better.

 

[skyking]

These giant off-road trucks have been running autonomous since 2016.

 

[hal2kilo]

The correct comparison is: self-driving vehicles vs distracted "I can't bear to not text for five minutes" meatsacks driving pickups with hoods they can't even see over.

My coworker and his kid somehow just walked away from an accident where their vehicle rolled several times after being hit by some moron who just went right through a stop sign.

I reckon being better than human "drivers" won't be a super high mark to beat. Drivers actually paying attention, well that would be a different thing but I don't expect that to happen at this point. Look around at a stop light at all the aholes glued to their phones.

Seriously way more dangerous than drunk driving in my opinion, just due to the number of people thinking they are doing nothing wrong, more changes of getting creamed. I think it's affected the quality of driving all over the world.