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Comment by ender7 | Hacker News Reader

Keep in mind that every autocar will have an extremely accurate recording of the accident that can be analyzed and played back during a hearing. Determining fault will be trivial in almost all cases.

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Accidents, when non fatal, are such a waste of anyone's resources. And there are so many way to be cheated. I'm stunned no manufacturer included a logging device. Nowadays you have dash cams though.

Many new cars have black boxes that log what the vehicle was doing, and they can be pulled in case of an accident. It's one of the benefits of having everything be electronically controlled these days.

Happy to hear that. I don't know why it's not advertised more, it's reassuring and enforcing at the same time. Maybe people would flock toward log-free models out of a reflex to drive carelesly.

That's probably why it's not advertised. Because your car will tattle on you. I've often wondered about the black box in my car, if I were in an accident and I was going 71mph in a 70mph and they pulled by black box, would I be given a ticket even though I was not at fault?

Although I'm pretty sure only the manufacturer has access to this data (as part of their copyright on the car), so it would take a warrant for law enforcement to get it. I don't have proof of that, but I would guess that's why you don't hear about it more. It's only used when absolutely necessary.

Agreed. The issue when collecting data is that it's a rabbithole, you need to have a lot of data to avoid shallow judgement, and careful jurors too. Going at 71 (74,75) instead of 70 might turn against you, but if you have enough evidence that the other vehicle would have it you even at 70mph then the system will work.

This can be solved. Have all collected data be encrypted AND the owner of the car be the ONLY one with the decryption key.

This isn't the point, though. Even if people are afraid data may turn against them, they will never take the risk to use it.

Precisely. Widespread knowledge would lead to tampering.

I was reading a recent insurance case where the driver staged and accident, but the black box indicated what really happened, and the driver withdrew the claim when presented with the evidence.

Widespread data logging including dash cams is going to improve driver behaviour. Even some cyclists are wearing 'dashcams' and this will no doubt improve treatment of all cyclists, even if overall penetration is low.

I was also happy that some Police officers were wearing cams. 3rd eye is powerful.

And some countries(Austria!) are actually making them illegal. Utter lunacy.

On privacy grounds ?

Yeah. Austria has them completely banned, and in Germany you can use them,but if you have an accident then whatever is recorded is inadmissible in court. Also if you post the recording to youtube you have to blur out faces and registration numbers to not get in trouble.

Is "autocar" a thing?

The ambiguity between automatic/automobile/autonomous really makes me hope a better word surfaces.

Self-driving car is a bit too long.

"autoautomobile" ;)

I like robocar.

In France a 'car' is a name for non public buses, a diminutive of 'autocar'.

Maybe nowadays car will be demoted to semimobile, or Human Driven Car.

I've always been partial to "robocar". It has a nice tinge of dystopia to it.

autobot

The cool thing being that the official launch will be the "Autobot Rollout"

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