[newoldbeemer]

Just pondering. Thinking about the far distant future. If self-driving vehicles become common and fairly accident-safe, human-powered cars will become less and less common and at some point be considered a risk. Driving will be a luxury, a privilege restricted to closed courses. And street driving become illegal. Possible?

I'm not sure if this will happen in my lifetime but I guess this stuff can happen.

Thinking about it makes me want to go out and drive

#lazyafternoon #foodcoma #monday

[G4BR13L]

Who says that we will not be using portals in the near future for traveling. It is quite possible that the entire need "to drive" will cease to exist.

[Bushum]

Seriously, as much as the de-growth, regressive movement would love to see this I don't think it will happen. At least not in our lifetime.

[2msport]

Originally Posted by newoldbeemer

Just pondering. Thinking about the far distant future. If self-driving vehicles become common and fairly accident-safe, human-powered cars will become less and less common and at some point be considered a risk. Driving will be a luxury, a privilege restricted to closed courses. And street driving become illegal. Possible?

I'm not sure if this will happen in my lifetime but I guess this stuff can happen.

Thinking about it makes me want to go out and drive

#lazyafternoon #foodcoma #monday

Yes definitely. I whole hearted believe it will happen eventually. I'm 30, so in my life time. Makes me never want to sell my gas burning 6 speed.

[Z K]

I absolutely think it will someday... or maybe it won't but driving will definitely be optional with self driving cars being the norm.

[NickyC]

It should be illegal for most people to drive now. Good grief these people!

[Supermoon]

Didn't you see it on the movie? In the future, maybe there will be hyper-speed, connected highways that are only allowed for computer controlled cars.
I don't think 'manual' driving will ever be banned but we might get less roads to drive ourselves in the future.

[newoldbeemer]

Originally Posted by Supermoon

Didn't you see it on the movie? In the future, maybe there will be hyper-speed, connected highways that are only allowed for computer controlled cars.
I don't think 'manual' driving will ever be banned but we might get less roads to drive ourselves in the future.

Which movie?

[Supermoon]

Originally Posted by newoldbeemer

Which movie?

I, Robot (2004)

[1MOREMOD]

Well if that happens I will hack the system and make em all crash so we can get back to real driving. All kidding aside it will happen to some extent but not soon enough to get me. I would actually be okay with it if track driving was still allowed.

[Meeni]

Originally Posted by Bushum

If it saves the life of one child let's outlaw it!

Seriously, as much as the de-growth, regressive movement would love to see this I don't think it will happen. At least not in our lifetime.

You can blame the degressive, degrowth movement for plenty of things, but I think you are now giving them credit for something they don't want. They'd rather have you not travel at all.

Yes, it will happen, and I think it will happen with no drama, just because the economics of it makes sense. When you have self driving cars, taxi is basically almost free. Nobody will own his own car, because it'll make no financial sense at all. Timesharing an on-demand self driving car will be so much more convenient and cheaper that it will just obliterate the need for owning a car (and its installments and repair bills). At this point, when hands-on driving becomes illegal, nobody will care because it will have become irrelevant. It may even never be illegal, because nobody would care enough even to make a law about it.

So yeah, driving will become a fun hobby for rich kids, like horse riding before.

[Samurai of 2day]

Originally Posted by NickyC

It should be illegal for most people to drive now. Good grief these people!

This

[XM_Rocks]

I don't think it will be illegal per se.

However I do see a situation where it becomes so expensive because of insurance costs when 90% of Americans go to driverless cars.

[pikkagtr]

Well if it does happen I hope your car doesn't decide to kill you.
It has to be programed with safety in mind, so in a situation where the computer has to decide in an event of catastrophic failure to either plow into a group of blind orphans walking killing them all or skidding off the road and only killing you , the logical option is to spare the many and sacrifice the few.
The car will literally be programed to drive its owner off the cliff to save those poor blind orphans .

[brianeck]

Originally Posted by pikkagtr

Well if it does happen I hope your car doesn't decide to kill you.
It has to be programed with safety in mind, so in a situation where the computer has to decide in an event of catastrophic failure to either plow into a group of blind orphans walking killing them all or skidding off the road and only killing you , the logical option is to spare the many and sacrifice the few.
The car will literally be programed to drive its owner off the cliff to save those poor blind orphans .

Yeah they better get their 3 laws of robotics right or we'll end up in a human zoo for "our own protection" since the greatest threat to mankind's existence is in fact mankind itself.

[XM_Rocks]

Originally Posted by Bushum

Seriously, as much as the de-growth, regressive movement would love to see this I don't think it will happen. At least not in our lifetime.

Originally Posted by Meeni

You can blame the degressive, degrowth movement for plenty of things, but I think you are now giving them credit for something they don't want. They'd rather have you not travel at all.

What are you talking about?

Who is "them".

Don't tell me you are trying to make this a liberal vs conservative issue.

Meh this is one of these things that was probably bound to happen.

Here in the U.S. 32,000 people died and 2.3 MILLION people were injured in 2013. Some temporarily or even permenantly disabled which is a large drain on our economy from a productivity and healthcare standpoint.

This isnt just one kid getting injured.

I can't imagine if this type of track record was applied to flying or taking the train that those methods of travel would not have seen sweeping changes if a technology was available to eliminate 95% of accidents/collisions.

This is just a natural progression of technology.

[David70]

Has there ever been a type of car that was banned when new technology or safety items made it "obsolete"?

I occasionally ride around with my father-in-law in one of his Ford Model A's (then you can understand why going 40 mph on a road can scare the crap out of you). It is very poor at stopping, accelerating, maneuvering around things, has no seat belts, and if we get hit, hit something else or go into a ditch there is a far greater chance of being killed. Person walks out in front of us we will have a hard time stopping or going around them, I guess bad luck to them for stepping out in front of an antique instead of a new car.

So far all government regulations allow such outdated technology to be driven without any upgrades or restrictions.

[Bushum]

Originally Posted by XM_Rocks

Don't tell me you are trying to make this a liberal vs conservative issue.

No. It is a de-growth versus human progress issue. Self driving cars will severely restrict mobility and travel will almost certainly be rationed and/or restricted a great deal.

Here in the U.S. 32,000 people died and 2.3 MILLION people were injured in 2013. Some temporarily or even permenantly disabled which is a large drain on our economy from a productivity and healthcare standpoint.

This isnt just one kid getting injured.

Really? I must have done my math wrong. Using the "It's for the children" mantra is a very common tactic to convince the functional illiterates to support something. I was being facetious but thank you for pointing out that many people are hurt and killed in car crashes. It's what I do for a living but I'm glad I was reminded.

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by XM_Rocks

Here in the U.S. 32,000 people died and 2.3 MILLION people were injured in 2013. Some temporarily or even permenantly disabled which is a large drain on our economy from a productivity and healthcare standpoint.

This isnt just one kid getting injured.
.

Please post the citation of the academic article that published that finding. I'd like to read it and their other results/conclusions. Not doubting you, just want to read it myself. Hope you'll share.

[XM_Rocks]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Please post the citation of the academic article that published that finding. I'd like to read it and their other results/conclusions. Not doubting you, just want to read it myself. Hope you'll share.

http://www.rmiia.org/auto/traffic_sa...of_crashes.asp

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pubs/812013.pdf

Raw damage and healthcare costs around $248 Billion.

NHTSA estimated $1 Trillion in lost productivity and loss of life.

GDP is around $16.6 Trillion so if these numbers are even in the neighborhood I would say it's a pretty large drag for sure.

Good thing is it's all trending downward... Deaths and injuries that is.

Originally Posted by Bushum

No. It is a de-growth versus human progress issue. Self driving cars will severely restrict mobility and travel will almost certainly be rationed and/or restricted a great deal.

I am interested to know what is making you think this?

I could see urban and long term rental autonomous vehicles... Like Uber or Hertz. I also see actual ownership being intact like it is today.

So in other words what is making you think that in the future I can't just go out to my garage and order my car to drive me 1,800 miles away to California? Sure there will be some stops for gas and bio breaks (coming and going) but how do you think my mobility will be imparied?

[Meeni]

Originally Posted by XM_Rocks

Don't tell me you are trying to make this a liberal vs conservative issue.

I am not trying to frame it as anything. I was answering to somebody that said it was because of degrowth people, and whatever yuo may think of them, that seems inaccurate as they do not care what type of car you have, they don't want you having a car in the first place.

Originally Posted by Bushum

Self driving cars will severely restrict mobility and travel will almost certainly be rationed and/or restricted a great deal.

Why ? I don't see why it'd make any difference. Actually, lower cost could make driving more available.