Quote:
Originally Posted by niebz
Hi Everyone
Hugely controversial topic here regarding Autonomous cars.
How do you feel about autonomous cars? I understand that everyone here enjoys driving however what if you could half journey times, put your feet up while your car drives you to and from work. Alongside reduced deaths and number of accidents would you swap?
Would you consider a self driving car as a secondary car?
Or are you against the idea completely?
I understand that the technology isn't fully ready however lets imagine a what if scenario.
Thanks!!
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If one considers the core realities, then the automobile is effectively dead.
In the UK, for example, all M ways are choked: and the problems worsen when towns and cities are entered.
The future probably lies in turning the major motorways into railways and either hiring a robot taxi when one arrives at the town/city destination; or a simple self drive electric personal conveyance a bit like a golf buggy with roof and sides. Hire here; leave there. If you like a bit the same as Boris Bikes.
In any case, the motorcar changed lifestyle: instead of localised communities (A bit like expanded villages ), where people lived worked shopped, socialised and played, increasingly, as space became rare, life moved increasingly to an "Out of Town" lifestyle.
More and more people commuted to work, often some distance: shopping was increasingly out-of-town too.
Now, due to the dreaded internet, more and more work from home, shop online and even (The younger especially) live a quasi sort of cyber-existence, particularly insofar as their social lives are concerned.
Therefore the need to travel decreases year on year.
A problem with technology and technologists, today, and since 1980 as I have been deeply immersed in Tech, is what I call "Latest Toy Syndrome": what this means is burning to apply the latest technology, even when in actuality, it is travelling along a pointless road to a useless conclusion and application.
One of the very best examples was given me by a very bright engineer: who said, "The trouble with these young upstarts in technology, is they all want to design things with multiple microprocessors, the latest chips etc and come up with useless devices such as a CCTV system for shaving! Have they not heard of a mirror?".
Personally, since I am old and started driving on drum brakes which faded, cart springing (two lateral leaf springs, one at the front and one at the back!), cross-ply tyres and no heating, air con or screen washers, let alone heated screens and best of all, little or no syncromesh
then my philosophy is if you cannot bloody drive, then stay off the increasingly clogged roads and leave it to those who damned can!
For an increasingly short time...