Hacker News Reader

My first thought was "man, I could go to all the pubs without a driver"

So are you the driver of the vehicle or not? Under current law, you're the driver whether your hands are on the steering wheel or not. Indeed, people have been convicted of DUI while sleeping in the back seat of a parked car.

This is sort of the whole point: everyone thinks they can eat their cake and have it too.

DUI? I'm not the driver, the car is! Hic!

Run over a kindergartener? I'm not the driver, blame Google!

Auto insurance rates go through the ceiling because of untested technology? Wait, I'm the same driver I ever was, this is unfair!

Can't get insurance at all? Help, the Man is a luddite! I'm being repressed!

The computer is a better driver than humans are.

So, "The Man" in this case is a luddite, and making laws that require humans to be in control of the vehicle actually decrease public safety.

I don't think the car is a better driver than people are, but I think it will be soon. And once it is we should let people sleep, be drunk, or do whatever while their car drives them.

Yeah, i was thinking this too. While self driving cars will probably be a killer for some industries... its a huge boost to others, such as bars.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com