So THESE items are legal - but the press is losing its mind over Autopilot?

[calisnow]

16 year old driver with immature prefrontal cortex? NO PROBLEMO!

640 horsepower sports car whose raison d'etre is to perform at levels unsafe for public roads. Do we force Dodge to electronically dial down the horsepower unless on a racetrack? Nope.

We luvs our guns! Don't tread on me!

 

[calisnow]

Gotta get your liquor on - nuthin' like Colt 45 to save American lives...

 

[James Anders]

Please don't get into the gun rights issue. Responsible gun ownership is no different than responsible vehicle ownership.

 

[calisnow]

Ciggies of course - they do us a world of good.

 

[Max*]

Did I miss the point?

 

[calisnow]

Please don't get into the gun rights issue. Responsible gun ownership is no different than responsible vehicle ownership.

I'm almost a libertarian - though I do not want a gun myself I respect your right to own one and acknowledge that guns serve a valid purpose. Not going into the gun debate. My post is tongue-in-cheek but I believe, personally, drugs should be legal, and so should sports cars, cigarettes and alcohol. I value freedom almost above all else, and I am willing to accept that society must take some risks if we are to have our freedom.

 

[Max*]

So THESE items are legal

16 year old

Depends on which state you're in.

 

[NikeWings]

Depends on which state you're in.

I'll take an infinite-machine-learning algorithm over a cocky 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20 year old any day. Although neither may ever be perfect, one is constantly and forever seeking to achieve it.

 

[calisnow]

Small airplanes - fatality rate at least 5 times higher per mile than automobiles. Less than 100 hours of training and the US Gov't will give its stamp of approval for you to endanger the lives of your unsuspecting friends and family high in the skies.

I'm a private pilot before any of you other pilots jump on me. As a statistical group small planes aren't safe - we all know this (yes an individual pilot can mitigate risk factors to be far safer than the group average). That's ok - they provide incredible utility and are a great benefit to society.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

Please don't get into the gun rights issue. Responsible gun ownership is no different than responsible vehicle ownership.

While I agree that the gun rights discussion shouldn't be debated here, I would say that a different type of gun analogy should be looked at.

AutoPilot is a tool, like anything else. There are tons of tools that we buy and use every day that require some skill and/or training to use safely. We use circular saws, 10" Japanese chef's knives, dangerous chemicals, and yes, guns. Many of those things can be sold to anyone with no training or knowledge required.

In the hands of a skilled individual, those items can be wielded like works of art. The carpenter, executive chef, chemist, and hunter alike can show us all what skilled use of a tool can do. On the other end of the spectrum is the irresponsible amateur who will easily hurt himself or others due to improper use of these items.

AutoPilot is no different. You can use it intelligently, smartly, and with skill to make your drive far easier and more safe. Or you can allow it to kill yourself or others by using it improperly. As such, I find zero difference between all of these items, and the talk of banning AP or autonomous driving because we can't "trust" it is nonsense. Anyone who doesn't believe that should pick up a circular saw and see how long their hands stay attached while they "trust" it.

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

Texting while driving.

<-- anyone wanna argue that?

 

[EinSV]

Riding a motorcycle. Without a helmet in many states.

Motorcyclists suffer astronomically high fatality rates -- roughly 25 times higher than automobile passengers per mile driven. Motorcycle Crashes

(And not bashing motorcyclists -- I used to ride and have no objection to anyone (other than my family) riding.)

 

[Maximus8]

It's difficult to have freedoms in a nanny state. It's almost an oxymoron.

 

[yo mama]

Please don't get into the gun rights issue. Responsible gun ownership is no different than responsible vehicle ownership.

Perhaps. But it's a lot harder to accidentally kill yourself cleaning a Tesla.

 

[SR22pilot]

Please don't get into the gun rights issue. Responsible gun ownership is no different than responsible vehicle ownership.

Precisely the poster's point I think. We are ok with guns but don't expect the same responsible ownership with autos. Instead we blame the manufacturer of the car.

 

[Filter]

The media is being ridiculous.

There was an article on Forbes that stated there was another autopilot related accident, but it didn't detail the context in which it occurred. On a road that clearly was not suitable for autopilot based on the description. This information is available on the forums here, by they selectively ignored it.

Do we need warnings that not chewing your food can cause choking? How about a reminder to use parachutes when you jump out of plane?

Sorry for the rant. I love autopilot and would hate to see it eliminated because of issues like these.

 

[SR22pilot]

Small airplanes - fatality rate at least 5 times higher per mile than automobiles. Less than 100 hours of training and the US Gov't will give its stamp of approval for you to endanger the lives of your unsuspecting friends and family high in the skies.

I'm a private pilot before any of you other pilots jump on me. As a statistical group small planes aren't safe - we all know this (yes an individual pilot can mitigate risk factors to be far safer than the group average). That's ok - they provide incredible utility and are a great benefit to society.

View attachment 184963

You had to show a Cirrus didn't you. Ouch!

 

[McRat]

Riding a motorcycle. Without a helmet in many states.

Motorcyclists suffer astronomically high fatality rates -- roughly 25 times higher than automobile passengers per mile driven. Motorcycle Crashes

(And not bashing motorcyclists -- I used to ride and have no objection to anyone (other than my family) riding.)

Cough...

You do understand that motorcyclists normally die on the road because an idiot was allowed to drive a car right?

If you measure At Fault fatalities, car drivers are more than ... 100 times more dangerous than motorcycle drivers.

Car drivers in general are talentless, distracted, poorly trained, and lack depth perception.

Very, very, very few car drivers know the limits of their car, or how it behaves when pushed hard. Certainly less than 1 out 10 car drivers are actually trained in emergency procedures. Motorcyclists in our state require emergency maneuver training. You must do everything a car driver is required to do, plus an extra motorcycle defensive driving course.

Very few states, (none?) require a car driver to have defensive driving training.

Our entire family has multiple defensive driving courses. We know how dangerous it is today, and train according. Wifey and I both have multiple competition licenses as well.

Cliff Notes: Motorcycles aren't 25 times as dangerous. Car drivers are the proven killers. Ban car drivers who don't have 40 hours behind the wheel professional training on a closed course, and watch bike fatality drop like a rock.

 

[Saghost]

Texting while driving.

<-- anyone wanna argue that?

In fairness, the original topic was things that are legal but much more dangerous than Autopilot. Texting while driving - or even holding a cell phone while driving - is certainly not legal anywhere near me these days.

(But yes, a lot of folks do it, and yes, it is very dangerous.)

 

[neroden]

Hey, I'll make another point. People who have a mile-long record of tickets for unsafe driving seem to generally keep their licenses. People who are *proven* to be bad drivers are allowed on the road. That's definitely more dangerous than Autopilot!