So apparently people dont want self driving cars.

"LJ909" (lj909) 05/04/2016 at 10:25 • Filed to: None

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So there were surveys done by JD Power, Kelly Blue Book, A consulting company called EY, the Texas A& M Transportation Institute, Canadian Automobile Association, and Robert Bosch LLC show that most Americans (which is subjective when it comes to surveys because they only survey like a few thousand people, and then use those few thousand to say its the opinion of the whole) don’t want self driving cars and are adamant against the tech. It was an average of 23% that would trust cars to drive them around. It improved with younger people but not by much. So are billions being invested in tech that people wont accept? 75% of people that KBB surveyed said they don’t think they will ever own a self driving car. But if automakers make all cars self driving, then will people have a choice? I think not really if that choice is forced upon us if all cars become self driving. I’m all for self driving cars, but I am adamant against entrusting myself to a computer which seems to be what most people are afraid of: the tech failing or not responding fast enough. I’ve talked to some gear heads that are against them for the sole reason that they thing cars will become too complex to work on or mod.

So are the billions being invested being wasted and should be spent somewhere else, or is it inevitable because of the simple fact that automakers will make them no matter what?

Tekamul > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 10:34

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It’s not inevitable, the technology soutions aren’t there, the regulations aren’t there, the infrastructure isn’t there.

Everything that is being done thus far is still very early in the adoption cycle. What’s available is closer to ‘enhanced cruise control’ than it is ‘automated driving’.

Whether or not it pays off won’t be determined for a long time, as is the usually the case with such large investments.

jariten1781 > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 10:34

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Nah, that’s normal for new things. There’s some (possibly apocryphal) quote from Henry Ford that goes something like:

“If I designed what people thought they wanted I'd have just made a better horse and buggy".

LJ909 > Tekamul 05/04/2016 at 10:36

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True. But some automakers are talking about bringing self driving cars to market in the next few years, which personally I think is way to fast. This technology seems to be being rushed for some reason or another. Its gone from simple adaptive cruise control with auto braking and follow to full on self driving in a matter of 3-4 years.

Dru > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 10:42

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I still think we are a long way from point to point self driving cars. I would personally love to be able to get on the highway, put it on auto pilot, and read a book, until such a time as my input is required. I think this will also be a huge boon to seniors who are unable to drive themselves for whatever reason.

Textured Soy Protein > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 10:46

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This will change over time as people get exposed to the technology. Think about navigation/infotainment systems. At first having navigation was a crazy whoa-that’s-fancy thing, and then it became available in more and more cars, and now it’s near impossible to buy a brand new car without some kind of screen in the dash, even if that screen only displays your stereo stuff and not actual maps.

More car companies are going to put at least sorta-self-driving stuff in their cars, people will buy the cars, get used the technology, and be comfortable with it enough to at least accept a car that has it.

My fiancee’s Subaru Impreza has EyeSight which is their driving assistance stuff, lane departure warning, pre-collision braking, active cruise control, etc. We didn’t go looking for those features, we just wanted one with leather and a sunroof, and this one also had the navigation+EyeSight package.

I’ve used the active cruise a few times and I love it, with the exception of one quirk: you can set it to any speed if you’re going that speed, but when you press the accel/decel buttons, it goes in 5 mph increments. But even with that quirk, it’s really nice when you’re on a longer highway trip to not have to constantly be pressing the accel/decel buttons every time some other car pulls in front of you.

It’s not a “can’t live without it” feature but whereas before I’ve never even really thought about buying a car with the optional driving assistance package, now if I were to buy a brand new car, I’d seriously consider trying to get active cruise.

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 10:46

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Perhaps it’s a function of age, or perhaps a function of living somewhere with shitty traffic...but all of my early 30s friend (myself included) cannot WAIT for self driving cars. Roads are terrible out there and there’s so much more they I could be doing with my time instead of driving.

Plus new cars are soulless and boring anyway, so who cares about driving anymore.

Tekamul > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 10:50

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I was at a tech conference with a panel of representatives from companies making the sensors being used. They all agreed 2020 was too aggressive, the tech isn’t ready for anything but a controlled environment.

Not secure enough, not smart enough, not adaptive enough, not enough data available to the system, not compiant to regulations that haven’t even been written. The current status is that someone always needs to be ready to grab the wheel. The requirements for the next hurdle are steep.

jvirgs drives a Subaru > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 10:56

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That "consulting company" is actually Ernst & Young. One if the "Big 4" accounting firms

LJ909 > Textured Soy Protein 05/04/2016 at 11:00

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You have a point. But I remember reading something a year or two ago that most of the tech features in cars people dont use because they are either too confusing, or dont work. So yea over time people MAY use it, but most wont out of not knowing they have the feature, or they dont understand how to use it.

LJ909 > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 05/04/2016 at 11:01

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Cars will becoming more soulless and boring appliances if they drive themselves. Im under 30 and I like the idea of self driving cars, but i worry its going to take away the experience of the actual car. And thats a big thing for me being a gear head.

LJ909 > Tekamul 05/04/2016 at 11:04

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That’s exactly what I’ve been saying. For some reason its being aggressively pushed. I think we need another 15-20 years.

My speed3 is happy > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 11:09

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I am really excited and can’t wait for it. Driving is fun yes, but sometimes I just want to sleep or do something else (Netflix and chill in the back?)

As far as trusting computers, I do absolutely. I am software engineer. I have spent my career automating tasks or trying to remove the potential for human error by guiding them through a smart UI. A learning algorithm that processes the aggregate miles of all self-driving cars in the world will easily outperform the average human driver. The performance gap probably already exists and it will just get larger as it gets more experience.

gin-san - shitpost specialist > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 11:24

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I think people need to see that these automated functions actually work as intended and then they will buy into it. The funny thing is, what is mentioned as the main fear of the new tech, which is failure and/or response time, is my main fear of other people who drive on the road. I'd more quickly trust an autonomous system over a decent amount of drivers out there.

Textured Soy Protein > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 11:44

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That’s also true. My fiancee doesn’t really know how to work the gizmos like the touchscreen head unit, or the active cruise. We keep talking about I’m going to sit her down and explain how that stuff works but then she gets absorbed in other things and it never happens. The problem is our work schedules are offset so we don’t see all that much of each other on weekdays, and the weekends often get filled up with projects around the house, travel, fun stuff, visiting family, etc.

LJ909 > gin-san - shitpost specialist 05/04/2016 at 11:51

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I think most people, like myself, have a problem with the computers taking into account all of the variables. Yes computers may be faster than humans, but driving has always had a human element or variable to it that I dont think computers will ever catch on to.

LJ909 > Textured Soy Protein 05/04/2016 at 11:55

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So basically you will never get around to it most likely. A lot of the touch screen head units/infotainment systems in cars are redundant because of cell phones, but you have no choice on them because they are so widespread which is I feel what will happen with self driving cars. No one really needs in dash nav, satellite radio, traffic updates or Facebook or social networking connectivity because we all carry that stuff around in our pockets.

My speed3 is happy > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 12:03

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There might be a lot of variables but it doesn’t mean a computer can’t handle it. The game of Go has a problem space of 10^170. For perspective, that’s a number that is larger than the number of atoms in the universe. Driving has an even larger problem space but with faster GPUs and better techniques it is only a matter of time before it is fully conquered as Go was.

Here is an interesting video about machine learning from last year:

Skip to the 9:22 mark to see it play space invaders and watch for the final shot. Note that this was just training on a single GPU, overnight.

Textured Soy Protein > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 12:04

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Well, maaaaybe I will try to get her to do it this weekend, except we’re visiting her family for Mother’s Day and touring wedding venues. So...probably not haha.

That's gonna leave a mark! > LJ909 05/04/2016 at 13:01

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Self driving cars = the bus. Cost more to own than taking a bus but comes without the BO and urine odor.

DynamicWeight > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind 05/04/2016 at 13:02

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As a newly minted 30 year old, I completely agree. I have my weekend toy for fun drives in the hills. But driving in a car to work is the worst thing ever. Now, a bicycle or motorcycle, that’s my shit right there. A morning commute to wake you up. But again, those only work because no one else does it.