Google self-driving car involved in first injury accident

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By JUSTIN PRITCHARD

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Google Inc. revealed Thursday that one of its self-driving car prototypes was involved in an injury accident for the first time.

In the collision, a Lexus SUV that the tech giant outfitted with sensors and cameras was rear-ended in Google's home city of Mountain View, where more than 20 prototypes have been self-maneuvering through traffic.

The three people on board complained of minor whiplash, were checked out at a hospital and cleared to go back to work following the July 1 collision, Google said. The driver of the other car also complained of neck and back pain.

In California, a person must be behind the wheel of a self-driving car being tested on public roads to take control in an emergency. Google typically sends another employee in the front passenger seat to record details of the ride on a laptop. In this case, there was also a back seat passenger.

FULL story at link.



FILE - In this May 13, 2015, file photo, Google's self-driving Lexus car drives along street during a demonstration at Google campus in Mountain View, Calif. Google says that one of its self-driving cars has been involved in an injury accident for the first time. The tech giant disclosed Thursday, July 16, 2015, that one of its SUVs was rear-ended in its home city of Mountain View, and the three people on board complained of minor whiplash. All were released from the hospital soon after the July 1 collision. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/4db4dc178735484298bdea0f5f9d1693/google-self-driving-car-involved-first-injury-accident

[yeoman6987]

1. Keep improving

Can you imagine the damage done while starting air flight. Now most planes are auto pilot. Keep going forward. This is important especially for seniors when they no longer can drive.

[A Simple Game]

7. This could also eliminate drunk drivers. n/t

[yeoman6987]

8. Great point!

[A Simple Game]

9. Drivers falling asleep, texting drivers, etc,

For years when my wife and I went shopping, the nearest fairly large shopping town was 60 miles away, when we started home she always said, wish we could push a button and be home. This would be the next best thing.

I do almost all of the driving when my wife and I go anywhere, I never get to see anything along the way, this would let me rubber-neck.

I wonder about the effects of snow and heavy rain on the sensors and cameras?

Lots of good points and lots of questions.

[PoliticAverse]

10. It doesn't work in snow which obscures the road surface

preventing the sensors/cameras from determining where on the road the car is.

[MADem]

35. We need to heat the roads to melt the snow!!

Advanced road technology is the next big thing!!!

[shanti]

41. perfect for

most of california though.

[snooper2]

23. Yes, Google car should notice it is about to be rear-ended and JUMP!

[PoliticAverse]

2. I had a friend who had been a city bus driver. He was stopped at a bus stop discharging passengers

one day and someone ran into the back of his bus. That was before cell phones even.

[Duckhunter935]

3. So the Google car was not at fault

Probably some knucklehead talking on the phone or texting and driving. The same thing has happened to me, my big red pick up has been rear ended. Self driving cars are safer if not as fun.

[backscatter712]

6. Yep. When you're stopped in traffic, there's nothing you can do to stop one of these accidents.

I've been rear-ended in traffic myself, thankfully not hard.

This is indeed human error, not a software fault in the Google car.

Personally, I'm amazed that these cars can handle traffic as insanely well as they do. The technology is very impressive.

[gcomeau]

4. Being rear ended...

...ranks just above "driven into while parked" on the "involved in an accident" scale.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. The headline is overly sensationalized.

[aggiesal]

11. Stay off the raod ...

these cars have no ethics, and are at the mercy of the ethics of the coder that programmed them.

The first time a car takes over while I'm driving is the last time I drive that car.

[Humanist_Activist]

12. Tens of thousands of people die on the road every year, most through human error.

I would trust a computer's judgement with the proper equipment over a human's.

By the way, there are cars on the road now that will stop your car for you if you fail to notice pedestrians or other vehicles, given your attitude, it sounds like you need to drive one of those cars.

[Recursion]

13. Every single accident involving a Google car has been a human driver plowing into it

The sooner we get human drivers out of the equation the better.

[Nihil]

15. Totally agree - you should stay off the road.

Most of your fellow drivers have less "ethics" programmed into them
than a driveless car so your best bet for your personal safety is to
avoid such dangerous people in their vehicles and stay off the road.

[aggiesal]

19. Wow, way to make it personal ...

You know neither my ethics nor my driving record.

I've seen what automation can do, and I'm not looking forward to this.
These cars should stay in their own lane.

[Codeine]

20. In this instance automation can only

make things safer and more efficient.

[whatthehey]

33. We've ALL seen what this automation can do - not a single at fault accident in lifetimes of miles

But why should we believe demonstrated fact when there are baseless opinions to follow?

[Nihil]

45. I didn't comment on either your ethics or your driving record so calm down.

> You know neither my ethics nor my driving record.

If you'd bothered to read what my reply actually said then you would
know that I didn't mention either *your* ethics or *your* driving record.

I was merely offering a suggestion to put your stated opinion of
personal fear of automation into context with the factual situation
of the existing dangers of the road (without any automation).

> I've seen what automation can do, and I'm not looking forward to this.

I, too, have seen what automation can do and I would take it every
time over humans distracted by mobile phones, sat-navs or attractive
pedestrians (not to mention those impaired by drink, drugs or lack of
sleep).

> These cars should stay in their own lane.

That would certainly keep them safe from the other idiots on the road.

[snooper2]

24. I only read the headline...

I know all!

LOL

[Darb]

25. Typical caveman approach.

My cousin objected strenuously to driverless cars when I told him about their coming takeover. Then two weeks later he put his truck into a tree and crushed his hip.

They are better than humans and will take over the roads. The advantages are too many to count.

[aggiesal]

29. Wow, now I'm a caveman ...

We can't have a civil discussion, that we have resort to name calling when
one doesn't agree with their views?

I've heard all the arguments, I know I'm in the minority on this subject.

I've worked on autonomous aircraft, UAV's actually.
I've seen how they're programmed, and there's a reason the government
told us not to fly them over population areas.

I've seen how autopilots have taken over cockpits to the point where
pilots have no idea what the plane is doing or why.

I'm in no way waiting for the day that an autopilot takes the controls
away from me while I'm driving, including applying brakes when it thinks
I should apply them. I will disable those features in a second.

How do/will these vehicles currently handle emergency vehicles? Will it move to the curb
when all other vehicles move to the curb? Or will it think, WOW, there are no
cars in front me, I'll keep going? How about sirens blaring from around the corner;
Will these cars be able to recognize that the sound is getting closer? Or will
it enter an intersection just as the emergency vehicle enters the intersection
from around a blind building, because it couldn't hear the sirens?

The only automation I've accepted is Cruise Control, because it allows me
to relax my foot on long drives. But I've seen Cruise Control accelerate
for no reason, and it startled me, that I immediately disengaged it.

So, I'm sorry if everyone thinks that a blind bat behind the wheel will be
more safe than me.

[d_r]

31. I agree with

you. It would be nice to flip it on in certain situations but I would want to be able to flip it off in a heart beat, much like cruise control.

And I would really hate to see what it would do going up and down mountains with semis on the road. Many human drivers handle that all kinds of wrong enough.

[Hosnon]

36. The Google car wasn't at fault.

As far as I know, not a single accident has been the fault of the Google car yet.

[Reter]

42. Errrr it was rear-ended while stopped

Bet you feel silly now.

[Recursion]

14. 33,000 Americans are killed by human drivers annually

Computerized cars don't drink, don't text, don't look away from the road to change the radio station, don't have blind spots or bad peripheral vision, don't get sleepy...

[Hepburn]

16. It's a Lexus SUV...

...not surprised that it hit something. I am tellin' ya, around where I live, a bunch of seniors, they drive these like Urban Assault Vehicles. See one coming, move out of its way!!!

[Duckhunter935]

17. But it did not hit anything

[Darb]

26. It was rear-ended. Reading the article has its advantages.

Believe me.

[Hosnon]

38. It didn't hit anything.

Something hit it.

[Codeine]

18. It got rear-ended. Who gives a shit?

I've been rear-ended through no fault of my own as well. People get distracted and plow into other cars; it happens.

Guess who doesn't get distracted and plow ino other cars -- computer driven cars! Can't wait for them to become the norm, if for no other reason than every car trip becomes a chance for some quiet reading.

[flamin lib]

21. Yeah, it does happen way too often.

That's why when I'm on my motorcycle and come to stop behind a car I position the bike to the rear and side of the car in front. Not fun being in a sheet metal sandwich.

[Yavin4]

22. Self driving cars are inevitable because of texting

Children and teens are growing up and texting as a normal part of their every day lives. They cannot go more than 30 minutes without texting. So, how can they operate a car for long stretches of time? Answer, self-driving cars.

[Darb]

27. The advantages to driverless cars are so numerous, their takeover is inevitable.

Succumb to the future, the sooner the better. I, for one, cannot wait to get one.

[olddots]

28. but Google makes life sooooooooo convenient

text me ..........

[d_r]

30. between my wife and I

We've been rear ended THREE TIMES in our lives while SITTING STILL WAITING ON A RED LIGHT.

[mainer]

32. The fact the Google car's never at fault -- but involved in so many accidents ---

emphasizes how dangerous it is for any driver out on the roads.

[MADem]

34. I still like the odds. I hope they fire this sum-n-such up before I get too old!

I'd save up to buy one of these things, assuming the tech was very viable!

[Hosnon]

37. Misleading title. The wreck was caused by another vehicle.

One that was driven by humans.

[alarimer]

39. The biggest problem with self-driving cars is other drivers.

People can be expected to be dumbasses behind the wheel.

[The2ndWheel]

40. As they say, we're probably already in the Matrix

Automated cars, automated jobs, automate reality at some point.

Everything is done automatically, so you get bored. Need to spice existence up a bit. What do you do? Create a reality where you can die. Nobody wants to die, so eventually you create an automated and virtual world in that automated and virtual reality. Then the process starts over again.

[Kurovski]

43. Why does a Lexus look so dumpy?

Hmmph.

[yurbud]

44. since we aren't allowed to have decent mass transit, this is second best