Aviation Experts Urge Caution on Releasing Self-Driving Cars

The software for avionics undergoes very detailed software engineering practices and testing. Critical systems are duplicated. The computers are ruggedly built and multiple power sources are available.

Yet - planes crash. For example, the auto-pilot disengages when the plane is no longer in the pre-defined "flight envelope" and the pilots scramble and in their confusion cause further problems, e.g. Air France 447 - but there are many others.

By comparison self-driving software is hacked together and the drivers do not have the many hours of simulator based training before being even allowed into a cockpit.

For self-driving cars to be safe, we need far better software engineering practices, computer systems design and driver training. In other words, not likely!