VIDEO - How a Driverless Car Sees the Road
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From the video's description on the TED web site:
Statistically, the least reliable part of the car is ... the driver. Chris Urmson heads up Google's driverless car program, one of several efforts to remove humans from the driver's seat. He talks about where his program is right now, and shares fascinating footage that shows how the car sees the road and makes autonomous decisions about what to do next.
Unless you are the only vehicle on the highway (and one cannot ever be entirely certain of that) you are one piece in a two dimensional puzzle that must fit in with all the other pieces. Put simply, before you do something, you must consider how that will affect you and all the others around you before you do it. If your intended action will negatively impact on someone else, you must not do it. How often do you see the road users around you relying on chance to keep everyone safe?
I was recently issued a ticket for failure to stop at a yellow light at an intersection. I am a class 2 bus operator and given the total stopping time of my class 2 vehicle (perception/reaction/actual braking time) and the fact I had a elderly person seated at the front on my bus, I thought it would be unsafe to either try and make a smooth controlled stop (which would have left the bus past the stop line) or make a sudden stop (possibly causing the elderly passenger to leave her seat).
This case was sparked by a driver who felt that he was entitled to be next in line at a Tim Horton's drive through in Mill Bay, B.C. He attempted to assert his place by bumping the tire of the pickup truck he felt that he should be in front of. Giving way because of the size difference, this man caught up to the pickup on the highway after they had exited the drive through. He pulled in front of it and braked suddenly several times, finally coming to a stop in the curb lane.
Question: I grew up in the Netherlands where riding a bike everywhere is normal. I moved to Vancouver in December, 2009 and have noticed that there is not much safety commonsense with cyclists. My main concern is their "safety" LED lights! They shine them upwards blinding pedestrians and drivers along the way.
Driving should involve co-operation, not a contest. There is no doubt that my point of view has been influenced by four decades of driving experience, 25 years of collision investigation and daily observation of what goes on around me when I drive. The selfish driver is easy to identify in the traffic around me.
Question: I drive a mini bus for our seniors home. It has space or 6 ambulatory and 8 wheelchair passengers. Is there a requirement for us to have a written report of our Pre and Post trip inspections?
Should I become an Uber driver? It looks like a good way to pick up some easy money and provide a lower cost service to people at the same time. Before you visit the Uber web site and sign up, you should consider very carefully what risks you might be taking and how it could affect you. That little bit of pocket money could quickly become a mere drop in the bucket when it comes to covering your losses if a collision should occur.