Date: Sun, 08 Nov 1998 08:51:47 -0800
From: Spike Jones <spike66@ibm.net>
Subject: Re: TRANSPORTATION: Replacing Cars with Shuttles
Ralph Lewis wrote:
> I wonder what the insurance rate on a computer controled car is going to be?
> Do I as a passive rider (no longer a driver) need to have insurance?
ralph, you have hit on the issue which will prevent computer controlled cars, as well as most future revolutions. if that computer fails and kills someone, it is unclear in our litigious society, who gets sued. what if your 6 yr old takes your computer driven car and it hits someone? what if you send your car unaccompanied to your friend's house and it hits someone? what if your computer car is sitting still at a light and some yahoo who wants a new car sees you asleep in the passenger side and backs into you, then claims you hit her? we insist that someone be responsible always, even if the computer driven car is ten times safer.
Well, I assume that these computer driven shuttles could contain cameras that will document the entire trip from all possible angles. If a certain accident occurs, one will always be able to refer to a digital recording of the accident.