Is there any reason to believe driverless cars will pose LESS of a threat than human-driven ones to non-motorists who are trying to use public thoroughfares?
Could such vehicles be programmed to ALWAYS slow down to, say, 15 MPH when their trajectory might bring them within, say, 10 feet of a pedestrian, wheelchair user, baby-stroller-pusher, horse-rider, bicyclist, etc? To NEVER drive thru a crosswalk when a non-motorist is in it? To ALWAYS obey crossing guards? Could driverless cars be programmed to NEVER pass a bicyclist in a no-passing zone where there is less than five or six feet of paved shoulder? To ALWAYS allow AT LEAST three feet of clearance when passing bicyclists? To stop and say, "I'm sorry" when a non-motorist objects to how he/she has been treated? Could they be programmed to block or otherwise thwart motorists who are doing things which endanger non-motorists? And what about making cars which are "smart" enough to refuse to provide three-block rides to overweight people who desperately need wholesome exercise? I mean, if we're gonna assign social responsibility to cars and soda-vending machines (witness New York City's ban on the sale of soda in containers larger than 16 oz.), surely we should go after the MAIN cause of obesity in this nation! Are the people who are working on driverless cars giving these matters proper consideration? It seems like the only things I ever see have to do with keeping car-addicted suburban Boomers behind the wheel or packing more cars onto freeways while avoiding pileups when a car in the front slams on the brakes. Anyway, if "respect" for non-motorists could be burned into the programming of driverless cars (like Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics"), I say, "Bring 'em on!!" Such vehicles would be far safer and much more "courteous" to non-motorists than about 80% of motorists behind the wheel today. Hans Noeldner Pedestrian/Bicycle/Transit/Sustainability Advocate Chair, Madison Peak Oil Group Oregon, Wisconsin 608-444-6190
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