60 Minutes: How soon will self-driving cars become part of our lives?

[mu03eng]

I'd love nothing more than self-driving cars. I hate driving. If I ever move back to Chicago, I will live downtown so I don't have to own a car.

I'm just skeptical that government and/or private enterprise will be able to build the infrastructure necessary in my lifetime for self-driving cars to succeed on a wide scale.

I mean, the infrastructure that brings water to many of our major metro areas is crumbling and rotting, yet nobody can find the trillions necessary to rebuild them.

So I'm supposed to believe that trillions of dollars are going to be made available to redo our entire highway structure for driverless cars?

The technology ports directly to the current infrastructure. We don't have to do anything to the highway structure to enable driverless cars, that's what's so revolutionary about it. If I deploy a driverless car today, the only thing I've changed is that the car is driving instead of me...nothing more has to be done. In fact, if we went to a universal driverless car society we could reduce our infrastructure footprint because humans are responsible the vast majority of traffic jams in the form of traffic accidents and/or gawker blocks. Plus a universal driverless car fleet would allow the cars to optimize themselves for best speed and efficiency based on destination (no more slow idiot riding in the left lane).

[muwarrior69]

The technology ports directly to the current infrastructure. We don't have to do anything to the highway structure to enable driverless cars, that's what's so revolutionary about it. If I deploy a driverless car today, the only thing I've changed is that the car is driving instead of me...nothing more has to be done. In fact, if we went to a universal driverless car society we could reduce our infrastructure footprint because humans are responsible the vast majority of traffic jams in the form of traffic accidents and/or gawker blocks. Plus a universal driverless car fleet would allow the cars to optimize themselves for best speed and efficiency based on destination (no more slow idiot riding in the left lane).

I assume the car is using a GPS. My new Honda, one year old Equinox and Cell phone GPS will not get me to my home; the map is about 3 blocks off. The GPS is spot on, but the map has my home address at different coordinates. Until they fix this self driving cars could take you to the wrong location. My home is 40 years old.

[mu03eng]

I assume the car is using a GPS. My new Honda, one year old Equinox and Cell phone GPS will not get me to my home; the map is about 3 blocks off. The GPS is spot on, but the map has my home address at different coordinates. Until they fix this self driving cars could take you to the wrong location. My home is 40 years old.

Check out Google maps app....If you go to a location a couple of times it'll remember the coordinates regardless of them being in the database. Once driverless cars come to market the GPS database will be cloud enabled and the cars will "learn" locations that they don't have access to. Also keep in mind that driverless cars at least in the first 10 years will have a manual option so if you come up 100 ft short you can correct it.

Your point is a reasonable one but I think it's relatively easily overcome

[GB Warrior]

I want nothing of a car that has the ability to calculate that driving its passanger off a cliff might be the most minimized damage in an otherwise unavoidable accident.

[muwarrior69]

I wonder at which point in time, all you will be able to purchase is a self driving car. Would the government mandate that all have a manual control option. There will be folks who know how to drive, but I imagine there will be a lot who do not. Those folks would be at the mercy of technology if something were to go wrong.

[GB Warrior]

I have to imagine that defensive driving while in a self-driving car is hard and potentially dangerous. Tesla tells you to keep your hands on the wheel at all times and pay attention, but human psychology says most will do otherwise. Your car will always follow the rules of the road, but sometimes accident avoidance comes from violating those. How do you mesh those two things?

[Benny B]

I wonder at which point in time, all you will be able to purchase is a self driving car. Would the government mandate that all have a manual control option. There will be folks who know how to drive, but I imagine there will be a lot who do not. Those folks would be at the mercy of technology if something were to go wrong.

There may very well be roads that are restricted to self-driving cars only (especially in dense, urban areas) at some point, but will the "human-driven" vehicle ever be outright banned?  Probably not.  I think the reason you mentioned regarding being at the mercy of technology is relevant... even though the likelihood of failure may be a statistical impossibility, there needs to be some sort of fail-safe.

Keep in mind that one of the primary reasons our interstate highway system exists is for mass movement of people and supplies in the event of emergency, evacuation or invasion.  For purposes of defense, health and/or safety in the event of a war, outbreak or other major disaster, I would think there would need to be some sort of protocol where people could move freely and independently in the event of of an emergency.

[mu03eng]

Anybody posting in this thread that would out right never ride in a driverless car? Trying to determine if the resistance is around needing to understand the technology more or just not believing in it as feasible/good idea

[GB Warrior]

Anybody posting in this thread that would out right never ride in a driverless car? Trying to determine if the resistance is around needing to understand the technology more or just not believing in it as feasible/good idea

I consciously choose not to be an early adopter of new technology, and am also not a huge believer in the "Internet of things" movement. Consumer protection laws are woefully outdated to protect consumers from the new risks that not even the companies selling products know they're exposed to.

[mu03eng]

I consciously choose not to be an early adopter of new technology, and am also not a huge believer in the "Internet of things" movement. Consumer protection laws are woefully outdated to protect consumers from the new risks that not even the companies selling products know they're exposed to.

Funny you bring up IoT, as that is pretty much what my whole career is right now. The amount of "old school" concepts and technology in IoT is startling....it's 50% marketing spin and 50% technology that's existed for years that we finally figured out how to tie together.

[forgetful]

Funny you bring up IoT, as that is pretty much what my whole career is right now. The amount of "old school" concepts and technology in IoT is startling....it's 50% marketing spin and 50% technology that's existed for years that we finally figured out how to tie together.

My problem with IoT is that it is a new metric to ensure sequestration of wealth in the hands of a few.

[brandx]

That must be per month. Or worldwide?

Our country needs major infrastructure overhaul anyways so I'm down with this major improvement and capital investment.

Worldwide.

[mu03eng]

My problem with IoT is that it is a new metric to ensure sequestration of wealth in the hands of a few.

Completely disagree. It certainly could be used to do that, but the primary benefit is enabling worldwide access to capabilities and services that individuals would not otherwise be able to have/partake in. If you want to argue the value prop is out of balance with the revenue collection that's one thing, but to say it is inherently a wealth concentrator is incorrect.

[brandx]

Most car accidents are caused by human error. We are talking about about 4+ million accidents per year with about 2.5 million deaths and injuries.

This human error would be basically eliminated.

[Spotcheck Billy]

Most car accidents are caused by human error. We are talking about about 4+ million accidents per year with about 2.5 million deaths and injuries.

This human error would be basically eliminated.

that would suck for those "1 call that's all" guys

[mu03eng]

Most car accidents are caused by human error. We are talking about about 4+ million accidents per year with about 2.5 million deaths and injuries.

This human error would be basically eliminated.

Or at least reduced proportionally to those who allowed the car to do the driving. The human element in driving scenarios is actually the most difficult aspect of driverless cars because humans are largely unpredictable/inconsistent in driving scenarios

[mu03eng]

that would suck for those "1 call that's all" guys

Don't underestimate the legal lobby looking to undercut driverless car technology for that very reason.

[muwarrior69]

I think one of the benefits of self driving cars would be for those individuals who were caught driving while intoxicated. In my state, NJ, and you are of average weight 3 beers would put you over the limit; first offense is 7 months suspension of ones driving privileges. One could atleast rent a self driving car to get to and from work.

[mu03eng]

I think one of the benefits of self driving cars would be for those individuals who were caught driving while intoxicated. In my state, NJ, and you are of average weight 3 beers would put you over the limit; first offense is 7 months suspension of ones driving privileges. One could atleast rent a self driving car to get to and from work.

Or if they owned a self driving car they wouldn't even get a DUI in the first place

[Benny B]

Or if they owned a self driving car they wouldn't even get a DUI in the first place

Don't underestimate the legal lobby looking to undercut driverless car technology for that very reason.

[GB Warrior]

Funny you bring up IoT, as that is pretty much what my whole career is right now. The amount of "old school" concepts and technology in IoT is startling....it's 50% marketing spin and 50% technology that's existed for years that we finally figured out how to tie together.

It is, and that's why it's scary. It has huge opportunity and huge risks. What I'll say is this - companies should have the means and intelligence within their IT functions to be fully aware of the risks they're taking on and controlling/not controlling. Consumers do not and will not, which is precisely why it's so scary to watch the consumerism rate of adoption.

[jesmu84]

Don't underestimate the legal lobby looking to undercut driverless car technology for that very reason.

Plus truckers (and all truck-associated things like towns that exist because of truckstops, etc), public transit workers/drivers, UPS/delivery drivers, etc, etc,.

[Benny B]

Plus truckers (and all truck-associated things like towns that exist because of truckstops, etc), public transit workers/drivers, UPS/delivery drivers, etc, etc,.

I want to meet a truck-stop lobbyist.  I wonder if they smell like hash browns and peach cobbler.

[Spotcheck Billy]

I want to meet a truck-stop lobbyist.  I wonder if they smell like hash browns and peach cobbler.

not that exactly but slightly related to politics and corruption: http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/2016/02/09/former-pilot-flying-j-president-indicted-federal-charges/80055878/

[mu03eng]

I want to meet a truck-stop lobbyist.  I wonder if they smell like hash browns and peach cobbler.

With just just a hint of baby powder and regret