Comment by bluejekyll
1 year ago
The thing that’s somewhat ironic here is that the car companies could make cars safe by default. For example, they could make it not possible to accelerate faster than one needs to. They could put in speed limiters that are triggered by the speed limit on the road. They could stop marketing and selling over powered cars.
Instead they market cars as exciting race track like vehicles, things that let you do what you want, when you want. And now they will collect data on the people who actually do that.
Personally I would prefer a car that helps me be a safer driver by following the law. Ensuring there are no pedestrians or cyclists in front of me, etc. But at the end of the day, automated enforcement is a good thing, so maybe this will help some people become safer drivers, though the reality that’s probably more likely is that fewer and fewer people will be able to afford/get insurance, and because our country is so car dependent, they will just drive without.
> For example, they could make it not possible to accelerate faster than one needs to.
I was in a rental car that had this once. Was on the highway, needed to get around another driver who was being unsafe. Was unable to do so because of the limiter. It was easily the most unsafe vehicle I've ever driven as a result. These mechanisms lack situational awareness and nuance, and thus are a direct threat to my personal safety. They very much need to be banned as a matter of course until such a time as humans aren't allowed to drive at all.