Now this I could get into xD

[FallenStar]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/innovation/10/11/google.testing.cars.mashable/index.html?hpt=Sbin

After all the bad, funny, weird news of the world, this is something that, I, for one could really get into if it's ever fully developed and allowed to develop.

This could really help people who can't or don't want to get driver's licenses. 

[Serika]

This is neat. I can't drive at all, i can barely even handle a lawnmower so this would be useful.

But really, i had a nightmare like this once. I woke up in the back seat of a car as it was speeding down the road and there was nobody in the driver's seat.

[oramisho]

This could really help people who can't or don't want to get driver's licenses. 

That would include me.

as cool as it sounds, the fact they advertise that it meant the human operator didn't have to pay attention to the road is honestly fucking terrifying. One glitch or error reading the road, and you potentially have an out of control car with the driver fiddling on his cell phone , too obvlivious to stop it.

[FallenStar]

That would include me.

as cool as it sounds, the fact they advertise that it meant the human operator didn't have to pay attention to the road is honestly fucking terrifying. One glitch or error reading the road, and you potentially have an out of control car with the driver fiddling on his cell phone , too obvlivious to stop it.

I'd like to think that, at some point, cell phones would either go handless or be banned from cars completely. Seriously, like 50% of all car wrecks are caused by people talking on their cell phones and not paying attention to what they're doing. Between that and drunk driving teens, it's a wonder there are any cars left on the road at all.  O_o;

[JackO]

Bah, not to be miserable, but why reward the lazy? Driving is too much fun for me too, like zeroin001 said... and even though I'm still learning, I'd never really consider getting a car that drove itself for the simple fact that even though I'd trust it almost completely not to crash, if it did... I'd be totally pissed at who-ever made it... whereas if I myself crashed, I'd just blame myself and become a better driving by not doing what it was that caused my to crash. 

[FallenStar]

I don't know about other people, but it's not laziness that keeps me from driving; it's mental stability. Seriously, if someone ever cut me off on the road, I'd probably fucking kill us both and everyone else around us with my car if I ever had a license.   


That and I couldn't afford the gas or a car anyway. 

[Serika]

Seriously, if someone ever cut me off on the road, I'd probably fucking kill us both and everyone else around us with my car if I ever had a license.   

Now that you mention it, I could see you getting road RAGE. It would be like Carmageddon all over again. :D


In my case i would probably look like a drunk driver even while sober.

[Flyper]

Yes, it won't be long until driverless cars for the general public are a true reality. I can just imagine it now, someone with more money than sense buying their spoiled brat their first car for their 10th birthday.

One problem I see is dealing with the aftermath of the first crash/fatality due to a malfunction. With media the way it is today, any crashes involving driverless cars would be published worldwide on any network you can think of (although, if it was worldwide news, that would imply that it was rare enough to be newsworthy; compare that to your average car crash, or even a crash that kills several people).

[Mighty Oracle]

Having my driver's license for close to a year now, I would say that driving in itself is too much fun to let a machine do, so I wouldn't opt for this personally. Nevertheless, this is not useless technology. I took plenty of time to get my license and driving is not meant for everybody. On top of that, let us be honest, public transport is far from ideal if you live anywhere except Japan or Switzerland.

This is basically what I was going to say.

[tenck5k]

The funny thing is I bet the computer controlled cars would have less crashes than people controlled ones, even drastically so. Many people drive so terribly, I wonder how they haven't killed themselves yet.

As for me, I drive a manual transmission. It's fun. Like hell I'd let some computer do it for me. However, it could be useful for long trips, or if you feel you can't drive for some reason or another.

I would hope that these things come with fail-safes though...like if there is any kind of error in the system that it would simply shut down, or just lock the brakes so that it can't move until it's fixed or something...

[tenck5k]

Just lock the brakes Yeah, that'll work just fine on a motorway. Dogpile, anyone?
It just comes to show how complicated this will get. It would require every car to communicate with each other. If something breaks down in the communication process, you're lost.

If other drivers were actually leaving enough space to react like they're supposed to...
besides, the alternative is that the car keeps rolling. That could end poorly.

[fishheadman]

This makes me more worried about the fact that google may one day take over the world.  Than again, maybe I'm just paranoid.  Couldn't hurt to be careful, though!  Image what google's power would be if they controlled all traffic in the world!  They wouldn't need WMDs to threaten governments for money!

[Ranpalan]

Although Google has certainly gained a lot of position recently, I would not expect them to take over the world any time soon. They do the things they put their mind to well most of the time, but they have so far mostly stayed off the hardware market. I'm guessing that when they release this system, it will be made to work with as many different kinds of cars as possible, not just some iCar Google Car. Also, if Android shows anything of their motivation, it is quite likely that installing something else on the navigation system will be legal, and whatever apps you'll be able to get for it will not have to be Google-approved.

[Mizukine]

When you drive this on a daily basis:


You'll never get behind a putercar.

EDIT: Oh, by the way, creepers, the license plate is a vanity plate now. You won't get my info by running it.