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TECHNOLOGY

Driverless Cars Will Soon Be Legal in California

They're cool, yes, but also safer say advocates, who convinced the governor to give them the a-ok

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by Dain Fitzgerald

Staff Writer t

Image: Reuters

Just as fewer Americans are even interested in driving anymore, cars are honking back, "Yea? Well we don't need you n-e-way!"

Latinos Post reports that California Governor Jerry Brown just signed off on legislation that legalizes the use of driverless cars, a technology developed by Google, on the state's highways and byways.

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Are you concerned about driverless cars, could they be safer than human-driven vehicles?

Comments (view in Forum)

  • Fishbone345
    !
    A little extra sleep on the way to work. Nice!
    And now I can type here at Politix while my car drives without worry!
    This is Charlie Sheen level win.
  • CanisCanemEdit
    !
    Lol. Half the time my GPS tells me the address I am looking for is on my right...when it is on my left.

    It's the little things like that that cause me to worry about GPS technology.
  • AlexanderKM
    !
    I'll never use a GPS again. If I would have listened to it, on numerous occasions, I would've parked in someone's living room.
  • o
    Stratton
    !
    Given the way Californians drive, I'm sure they'll be safer. Plus it will much easier now for people to reload their weapons on the freeway.

    Kidding aside, I don't think these cars will be popular except with the elderly and infirm. The idea seems cool until you realize that the car is not going to drive the way most people want to drive. It's not going to switch lanes just because the other lane seems to be moving faster. It's not going to speed up to make it through the yellow light. It's also not going to slow down when it sees a police car looking for speeders. It's going to stop at every crosswalk because it won't be able to tell if there is a pedestrian trying to cross or not. You get the idea.
  • Denizen_Kate
    !
    Stratton, "it will much easier now for people to reload their weapons on the freeway" LMAO! Thanks, I needed that.

    IMO driverless vehicles may be the coming thing, but meanwhile, as a car person of long standing, I intend to enjoy every minute I spend behind the wheel of my roadster. I call it highway therapy.
  • o
    ibcingu
    !
    I LOVE this. It's excellent technology for an aging population base. Older people will still be able to own & car & get around without actually driving it.
  • rosebud
    !
    I hope they allow this everywhere. People whos eyes are bad or can't hear well will be able to go without hiring a driver. YEAAAAAAA
  • Quantummist
    !
    I've read several of the comments and thought I would give my opinion and correct a few misconceptions... The Cars spoken of do not use the GPS system we all use... There are separate GPS systems that are not open to public use that have an accuracy measured in Centimeters, The one we use is measured in Meters... Also the cars being considered do not rely on GPS for the actual driving only for general locations... They use cameras, sonar and radar to track the road markings, see the road signs and traffic lights along with tracking any vehicles around the cars. They use artificial intelligence processors to make decisions based on the all the input data they receive.. Almost all the assorted technologies have been in use for a couple of decades already... And test cars have been on the streets in the US for around 5 years...

    All that being said... It's all good until technology fails.. And if Man Made It, it will break... And if it breaks at 60mph someone is having a really bad day.....
  • AlexanderKM
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    @Decent-Dissent I would have to agree with you there. I really don't like where this could go. Does it have it's positives? You bet'cha. I would prefer humans and their inherent fallibility that a machine any day. Most people want to live. Machines cannot and do not care.
  • Denizen_Kate
    !
    Safer, maybe, but not nearly as much fun. I can see the benefit for those who cannot drive themselves, though. We don't all live where good public transportation is available.
  • Keyjo
    !
    Okay, so the car can drive itself! How will it handle a wrong way driver?
    Not to mention, the car will probably go exactly the speed limit or below. If someone cuts it off, I wonder if it will flash its lights or lay on the horn?
    What fun is road rage if you can't run up someone's ass!?
    Technology isn't always a good thing!
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