TRANSPORTATION: Replacing Cars with Shuttles

From: O.B. (@IB-zone.com)
Date: Mon Nov 09 1998 - 19:11:20 MST


Date: Sun, 08 Nov 1998 08:51:47 -0800
From: Spike Jones <spike66@ibm.net>
Subject: Re: TRANSPORTATION: Replacing Cars with Shuttles

Ralph Lewis wrote:

> I wonder what the insurance rate on a computer controled car is going to be?
> Do I as a passive rider (no longer a driver) need to have insurance?

ralph, you have hit on the issue which will prevent computer controlled
cars, as well as most future revolutions. if that computer fails and
kills someone, it is unclear in our litigious society, who gets sued.
what if your 6 yr old takes your computer driven car and it
hits someone? what if you send your car unaccompanied to your
friend's house and it hits someone? what if your computer car
is sitting still at a light and some yahoo who wants a new car
sees you asleep in the passenger side and backs into you, then
claims you hit her? we insist that someone be responsible always,
even if the computer driven car is ten times safer.

Well, I assume that these computer driven shuttles could contain cameras that will document the entire trip from all possible angles. If a certain accident occurs, one will always be able to refer to a digital recording of the accident.



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