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Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Driverless Cars? Not Science Fiction Anymore!

What's the next big thing Siri?

So how would you feel about a 1/2 ton vehicle speeding down the highway at 65 miles an hour being driven by a computer?  After you get over the initial freak out, check out the stats.  Google has been testing a fleet of 12 "autonomous" (no pun intended) cars for several years, racking up 300,000 miles without an accident, making it safer than my own personal experiences driving around my little fender bender.  Does that mean folks can now text, eat their Big Macs, and apply eyeliner without crossing into my lane?  And will people maintain the speed limit as they pass a cop car sitting on the side of the road?  And will I not have to cringe while braking, watching the car in my rear view mirror hurtling toward my back bumper as the operator checks his email? And will folks not slow down to read those overhead signs on the highways causing mini traffic jams for no reason at all?  (Right there is a huge reason to improve reading instruction in schools).   If the answer is yes to any or all of those questions, where do I sign up?

That being said, leave it to California to write a bill regulating this whole advance in technology.  Do California legislators get some kind of bonus for sponsoring bills?  If the whole driverless car thing works, it will work, not because the government has a hand in it, but because it works.  To our elected officials - get out of the way and let technology run, or drive its course.

You can read a piece posted on the BBC website below:

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19726951

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