Market Currents

The whispers are developing into murmurs from automakers on plans to follow Google's lead and...

Monday, October 29, 2012, 7:12 AM ET
The whispers are developing into murmurs from automakers on plans to follow Google's lead and develop self-driving car concepts. While Google has already successfully auto-piloted its test car through traffic in Silicon Valley, major automakers start to ramp up. Nissan (NSANY.OB) unveiled a futuristic driverless car at a tech show - while Ford (F), Audi (VLKAY.PK), and BMW (BAMXY.PK) are in a testing phase. The end game: Down the road, the technology could be developed to automate simple driving in places such as college campuses or business complexes before hitting mainstream roads.

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This news story has 13 comments:

Ryandan Comments (589)

That's way down the road and it will be nice when those cars can recall themselves and drive to the dealership for repairs.

29 Oct 2012, 08:54 AM Reply Like

jkaness Comments (37)

No doubt a self driving car will be built. It is yet another example of machines putting people out of work.

If a self driving car causes an accident or is involved in an accident, who will get sued, the car, the passengers or the owner?.

Does a self driving car require a driver's license?

29 Oct 2012, 09:37 AM Reply Like

Raymondjram Comments (25)

Computers didn't put accountants and secretaries out of work. The opposite happened: since the introduction of computers required training, their salaries actually increased and their workload improved. So "self-driving" cars will require more trained mechanics and engineers for servicing and put more people to work.

Why do you need to sue a "self driving car"? Did you know that over 95% of car accidents are human related, and the highest cause is speed? If these cars are programmed to respect speed limits and traffic laws, there will be few accidents, and riding will be safer. I have experienced several automated transportation systems (some have moved millions with no incident), and they are really trustworthy.
Your last question show how single-track minded you really are!

29 Oct 2012, 10:01 AM Reply Like

Modernist Comments (2111)

Technology has been putting people out of work for centuries, since before a guy named Karl met a guy named Friedrich.

29 Oct 2012, 10:59 AM Reply Like

flumeride Comments (176)

I think self driving cars are a great improvement in many area's. How about getting on and off the freeway? I speaking of cars that are not only self driving , but also communicate with nearby cars to allow cars to enter and exit the freeway. It's unfortunate that the car companies and google are doing this with out incentives from the US Government. I'm not saying the government should pay for the development of these cars, but provide incentives for the auto industry to move in this direction. We could reduce accidents and improve safety.

29 Oct 2012, 04:26 PM Reply Like

jkaness Comments (37)

Speaking as a retired federal civil servant, third level supervisor, and one who had his own secretary, I can say that in the federal civil service the advent of personal computers in about 1985 DID put secretaries out of work. I was there and watched it happen. First, they were re-named "office assistants" after we all were instructed to write our own letters. Then, by attrition, they were simply not replaced when they left.

As for the other comments, they focus on the cultural and legal aspects of new technology. The law always lags behind technology. I suggest you ask your insurance company about the liability issues of a 'self driving car'. If they do not weasel out of the discussion it should be an interesting one.

30 Oct 2012, 11:07 AM Reply Like

Tdot Comments (1622)

Actually, Insurance Companies have been boisturous in the cheerleading section when it comes to taking away the "human error" in caused collisions.

The vast number of traffic accidents are operator-error, not equipment malfunction, and Insurance Companies would love to get some relief from all the absolute stupidity that goes on. This is why they give discounts to folks with clean driving records.

Self-driving probably won't be allowed until the technology can demonstrate the probability of a catastrophic non-recoverable system failure to be on the order of one in a million, or perhaps one in a billion. This compares well with the odds of about one in a hundred for being in a serious car crash caused by idiot drivers and other talking monkeys.

Insurance companies will take those improved odds.

That said, we all saw I, Robot, and some of us read it as well.

30 Oct 2012, 01:41 PM Reply Like

pb1260 Comment (1)

Driver-less cars lead to cheap taxi's that can be fetched with the GPS in your smart phone. This leads to more use of public transportation such as buses and trains for trips to other cities. And that leads to more people being willing to own electric cars with a limited range.

29 Oct 2012, 09:46 AM Reply Like

EdwinJ44 Comments (59)

So many things to consider. Very good for interstate highway driving. Very not so good for impulse joy riding. Very dangerous while implementing, giving self driven car drivers a false sense of security when they see another vehicle coming at them thinking they don't need to maneuver to avoid an accident. The change is inevitable. Honestly I have been thinking about 'auto pilot' cars back in 1956 - 1957 when I was 12 or 13. Thinking wires buried along roadsides with transmitters implanted sending signals to the car.

29 Oct 2012, 10:18 AM Reply Like