Google’s self-driving car caused its first crash

[finmile]

"On February 14, our vehicle was driving autonomously and had pulled toward the right-hand curb to prepare for a right turn. It then detected sandbags near a storm drain blocking its path, so it needed to come to a stop. After waiting for some other vehicles to pass, our vehicle, still in autonomous mode, began angling back toward the center of the lane at around 2 mph – and made contact with the side of a passing bus traveling at 15 mph. Our car had detected the approaching bus, but predicted that it would yield to us because we were ahead of it.

Our test driver, who had been watching the bus in the mirror, also expected the bus to slow or stop. And we can imagine the bus driver assumed we were going to stay put. Unfortunately, all these assumptions led us to the same spot in the lane at the same time. This type of misunderstanding happens between human drivers on the road every day.

From now on, our cars will more deeply understand that buses (and other large vehicles) are less likely to yield to us than other types of vehicles"

http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/29/11134344/google-self-driving-car-crash-report

 

[Alfred_B]

You live, you learn.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

I wonder how many people jumped on the bus after the crash and started screaming that they had spinal injuries??

 

[Nate1979]

Knowing the buses around here they should assume they will never yield, will pull out in front of you, etc.

 

[Padawan]

While the headline is technically accurate, the most important fact in the story is that the test driver (who was monitoring the situation and able to take control of the vehicle at any time) came to the same conclusion as the AI, which was that the maneuver would not result in a collision.

Unfortunately, most folks out there will only skim the headlines, and come away with a mental image of HAL-like cars smashing into traffic and mowing down unsuspecting pedestrians while bystanders look on in shocked horror, powerless to intervene.

Soon business will be booming over at Old Glory Insurance.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: Padawan
While the headline is technically accurate, the most important fact in the story is that the test driver (who was monitoring the situation and able to take control of the vehicle at any time) came to the same conclusion as the AI, which was that the maneuver would not result in a collision.

Unfortunately, most folks out there will only skim the headlines, and come away with a mental image of HAL-like cars smashing into traffic and mowing down unsuspecting pedestrians while bystanders look on in shocked horror, powerless to intervene.

Soon business will be booming over at Old Glory Insurance.


"HAL, unlock the doors so I can get out and tell this cop about all the people you ran over."
"Sorry, Dave, I can't do that."

 

[finmile]

Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
"HAL, unlock the doors so I can get out and tell this cop about all the people you ran over."
"Sorry, Dave, I can't do that."


Let me guess. The make and model of the car would be Google Odyssey 2001.

 

[901Memphis]

The Google car should have gunned it and got into the center Lane faster. The mistake was crawling so slow when you know drivers don't care about you

 

[daves87rs]

Interesting!!

 

[DoubleWasp]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
The Google car should have gunned it and got into the center Lane faster. The mistake was crawling so slow when you know drivers don't care about you


Computer was guilty of being naive, and lacking assertiveness.

Merging back into traffic at 2mph? Lol.

So now they will program it to be trapped with it's blinker stuck on, giving way to everyone and everything instead.

 

[Vikas]

That's why I keep on saying that unless Google can drive in a third world city successfully, it would have very very long time to go.

Doesn't anybody find it odd that even though most of the Google automotive software is written in Bangalore, they never test it locally?

 

[DBMaster]

Cars will evolve into self-driving soon enough. With backup cameras, collision avoidance, and emergency braking being made standard in the coming years it won't be a great leap to get to self-driving.

Feel free to disagree, but SD cars will end up being more evolutionary than revolutionary.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: Padawan
While the headline is technically accurate, the most important fact in the story is that the test driver (who was monitoring the situation and able to take control of the vehicle at any time) came to the same conclusion as the AI, which was that the maneuver would not result in a collision.


Which proves that Google programmers as well as their driver apparently are horrible drivers. Nobody merges at 2mph expecting that the traffic, that has the right of way will yield. And mostly nobody will yield to a vehicle moving this slowly because it means coming to a complete stop while they have the right of way.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: KrisZ
Nobody merges at 2mph expecting that the traffic, that has the right of way will yield. And mostly nobody will yield to a vehicle moving this slowly because it means coming to a complete stop while they have the right of way.


Apparently you've never driven in Dallas/Fort Worth. ROFL

 

[Vikas]

Quote:
had pulled toward the right-hand curb to prepare for a right turn. It then detected sandbags near a storm drain blocking its path, so it needed to come to a stop
Was it daydreaming? How come it did not see the sandbag before pulling over? The entire rationale for the self-driving vehicle is that it can be always looking ahead instead of playing with the cellphone.

 

[Colt45ws]

I would've just driven over the sand bags. I've done worse.

 

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: finmile
"On February 14, our vehicle was driving autonomously and had pulled toward the right-hand curb to prepare for a right turn. It then detected sandbags near a storm drain blocking its path, so it needed to come to a stop. After waiting for some other vehicles to pass, our vehicle, still in autonomous mode, began angling back toward the center of the lane at around 2 mph – and made contact with the side of a passing bus traveling at 15 mph. Our car had detected the approaching bus, but predicted that it would yield to us because we were ahead of it.


Sounds like they better update the programming to assume every other car on the road is going to make a move you aren't expecting.

If this whole self-driving car kick really materializes, it's going to be a wild time on the roads I'm predicting. I'm betting the insurance companies will be pretty leery to insure these auto driving vehicles for reasons just like this one.


Plus, these self driving cars are just going to impend the flow of traffic because they will be so slow to react to traffic changes that other drivers in normal cars are going to be road raging and making stupid moves to get around these things, and that too will cause chaos on the roads. It should be real fun to watch.

Anyone caught texting on the road should be forced to use a self driving car ... LoL.

 

[Silverado12]

Looks like the Google car needs to have the eh-hole factor programmed in. The driver and the program of the car figured the bus would cut him a little slack, but like a lot of people out there, they'll speed up and cut you off instead of helping you out a little. The car needs to account for douchebaggery. FWIW I've been driving big trucks for over 20 years and have always, every time, been courteous to others in traffic trying to get out from a closed lane. Have a perfect driving record and 1,000,000+ mile safety award to show for it, but I've seen so many commercial drivers who don't give a flip.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Colt45ws
I would've just driven over the sand bags. I've done worse.


Yeah this.

Sometimes my turn signal is an announcement of what I'm GONNA DO, not asking. So look out, world.

 

[Rick in PA]

There's something funny in this. They're applying pure logic, but there's more than pure logic in driving. Reminds me of a recent encounter I had with a bus, it boiled down to "This bus is rolling... end of discussion", I made sure we didn't have a fender bender. You get to reading the other drivers and their vehicles and react accordingly if you don't want to get bent sheet metal.