Will driving license be obsolete in the future ?

[Red October1984]

Or maybe instead of driver licensing....they introduce a new system that enters all of your information into the cars onboard computer so that the car is only registered to you. Nobody else will be able to drive the car and nobody will be able to use the car without entering license data.

Who will develop this? Ubisoft Auto, inc.

[Oberon]

I think it's going to be a few decades yet before driverless cars and transport come into full service. We've had driverless trains now for over two decades but they've remained either as small light transport devices (Docklands Light Railway) or have a driver on stand-by to take over if something goes wrong (Jubilee line underground) and the idea of taking the driver completely out of the cab has received a lot of negative pushback from Transport Unions. I can understand this, after all, it's going to make a lot of people unemployed if you remove the human factor from transportation driving. Likewise in aircraft, they can pretty much fly themselves on autopilot now, I'm not sure about take-off but I'm pretty sure the most recent Airbus (and therefore likely Boeing too) craft can land on autopilot. The amount of crew in the cockpit has reduced since I was a child, once upon a time there would be at least three, sometimes four. Pilot, Co-pilot, Navigator and Engineer. Now it's just Pilot and Co-pilot, with computers taking the role of Navigator and Engineer.

One question that I have seen come up again and again with regards to driverless cars, and it's one that I don't think that anyone has been able to get a good answer to. So far driverless cars have avoided accidents through their superior computing reflexes, but what would the computer car do if there came a time when it had to choose between crashing into a pedestrian, or into an inanimate object, thus injuring or killing the occupants of the car. Would it determine how many occupants are in the car and weigh that against the life of one person on the road and thus hit the person on the road and spare the four occupants of the car? How would it determine who to hurt and who to save?
That's a determination that is special to a road based vehicle as opposed to a train or ship or plane because of the open nature of the path the vehicle is travelling, you can't swerve around someone in a train .
I would be very interested to see how such a scenario would be played out by the onboard computer, because you can guarantee that it will happen at some point and when it does and someone is hurt, the media will be all over it like flies.

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Oberon

what would the computer car do if there came a time when it had to choose between crashing into a pedestrian, or into an inanimate object, thus injuring or killing the occupants of the car. Would it determine how many occupants are in the car and weigh that against the life of one person on the road and thus hit the person on the road and spare the four occupants of the car? How would it determine who to hurt and who to save?
That's a determination that is special to a road based vehicle as opposed to a train or ship or plane because of the open nature of the path the vehicle is travelling, you can't swerve around someone in a train .
I would be very interested to see how such a scenario would be played out by the onboard computer, because you can guarantee that it will happen at some point and when it does and someone is hurt, the media will be all over it like flies.

Made me remember this article

http://www.iflscience.com/technology...-good-scenario

Markus

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by mapuc

Made me remember this article

http://www.iflscience.com/technology...-good-scenario

Markus

One possible solution would be to make the car and its occupants better able to withstand the possibility of a collision with a solid object, then the car would automatically serve off the road with the knowledge that even if it goes into a wall it won't kill the people inside it.
Quite how that happens is less simple, restraints can help and hinder equally, air bags are a possibility but if they deploy at the wrong time they can be problematic.
It's all a matter of Inertia and Mass.

Thanks Newton...

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Oberon

One possible solution would be to make the car and its occupants better able to withstand the possibility of a collision with a solid object, then the car would automatically serve off the road with the knowledge that even if it goes into a wall it won't kill the people inside it.
Quite how that happens is less simple, restraints can help and hinder equally, air bags are a possibility but if they deploy at the wrong time they can be problematic.
It's all a matter of Inertia and Mass.

Thanks Newton...

First this(about the safety for the driver and passengers)



Second

Got this terrible thought

Car computer speaking:

Sir I have decided on the behalf of the many to let you die bye bye

Markus

[Sailor Steve]

Reminds me of a joke I heard many years ago:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome aboard the world's first fully automated flight. This aircraft is safer than any previous, and is flown entirely by computer, without pilots. The radar guidance technology is state-of-the-art, and there are seven levels of redundancy built in. We would like to reassure you that this is the safest aircraft ever built, and would only like to remind you that nothing can go wrong...can go wrong...can go wrong..."

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Oberon

One possible solution would be to make the car and its occupants better able to withstand the possibility of a collision with a solid object, then the car would automatically serve off the road with the knowledge that even if it goes into a wall it won't kill the people inside it.
Quite how that happens is less simple, restraints can help and hinder equally, air bags are a possibility but if they deploy at the wrong time they can be problematic.
It's all a matter of Inertia and Mass.

Thanks Newton...

The notion of restraints is fine only insofar as they are actually used. How many times have you seen news reports where someone is killed because they weren't wearing legally required seat belt restraints and thrown out of a car in an accident? One big problem is the fact a driverless car will just make it possible for the occupants to engage in other activities which may induce them to remove the restraints. We've all seen people putting on make up, shaving, reading, and any other number highly questionable activities while behind the wheel. A driverless car would be little more than a smaller personal bus and the occupants, including the nominal driver, would most likely be involved in activities occupying their attention other than management of the vehicle. It is an age-old problem: technology and progress is very often undone by human nature and human folly...


<O>

[ikalugin]

craft can land on autopilot.

Buran could land on autopilot. Modern USN aircraft could land on carriers on auto pilot if I remember it right.

TBH I dont think that crew's paychecks are a major cost in the aircraft operation because of the economies of scale crew wise and fuel costs/amortisation you get.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

I'm quite sure that driver's licenses are not going anywhere. Problem I see with lesser certificate training is that if person is only able to safely park car into side of the road or at the most drive few kilometres at slow speed, then what will you do when computer breaks down in middle of nowhere? Would you rather know how to drive yourself to closest town or wait for hours for "rescue" to arrive?

I'm 26 years old and if I survive as long as my grandparents I will die when I'm about 86 years old. That means 60 years I'm not sure if that is enough for me to witness the day of automated cars routinely operating in public roads.

Consider automated trains. Technology required for them isn't new. Oldest example I'm aware of is exprerimental system used in passenger service in New York City Subway's 42nd Street shuttle from 1959 to 1964 (mostly destroyed in Grand Central fire and never repaired). This system was semi-automatic with drivers operating doors (as in Jubilee line mentioned already) but technology itself could have enabled fully automatic operation.

Despite tremendous advancements in technology over last 50 years automated trains are still restricted to few fully grade separated metro systems instead of being in widespread use. Currently it looks like this won't change in another half a century.

[Wolferz]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

Or maybe instead of driver licensing....they introduce a new system that enters all of your information into the cars onboard computer so that the car is only registered to you. Nobody else will be able to drive the car and nobody will be able to use the car without entering license data.

Who will develop this? Ubisoft Auto, inc.

There's a frightening thought...

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Wolferz

There's a frightening thought...

LOL

[vienna]

Scarier thought: The Apple iCar:

[Salesman] Yes, the Apple iCar is a quantum leap forward in automotive engineering and a re-imagining of the total concept of what the driving experience should be.

[Customer] Are there any downsides?

[Salesman] None at all. You have the rich history of Apple innovation and quality to support your purchase.

[Customer] OK, I'll buy one!

[Salesman] Sign here.(Customer signs.) Now the condition of ownership are these: you can only use Apple tires, parts, fuel, and any other items pertaining to the operation of the vehicle. Please note the iCar will not function unless you also buy an Apple iPhone or iPad. Also, it is expected you will buy a new iCar at least once a year when Apple makes upgrades to the iCar. As a new, original iCar owner, you will be given Priority Status guaranteeing you a place in at least the second one hundred customer waiting to buy the next iCar upgrade. Enjoy your motoring experience!...


<O>

[Platapus]

Putting on my Election Officer hat...

/thread derail

Driving licenses won't become obsolete as they are the most common form of ID used when casting a vote in an election. Hint Hint

Tuesday is Election day in many of the states. Hint Hint hint.

Please vote. Hint Hint Hint hint

/thread re-rail

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Putting on my Election Officer hat...

/thread derail

Driving licenses won't become obsolete as they are the most common form of ID used when casting a vote in an election. Hint Hint

Tuesday is Election day in many of the states. Hint Hint hint.

Please vote. Hint Hint Hint hint

/thread re-rail

You could be right I wasn't thinking outside the box(Europe) Here, well in most of the countries we have identification card(ID-card) Of course you can also use the driving license or your passport, but about 90-95 % of the people in Denmark and Sweden use their ID-card.

Markus

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by mapuc

You could be right I wasn't thinking outside the box(Europe) Here, well in most of the countries we have identification card(ID-card) Of course you can also use the driving license or your passport, but about 90-95 % of the people in Denmark and Sweden use their ID-card.

Markus

National ID cards is a contentious issue in the US.

After all, if we have a national ID card, The Government (cue dramatic music) could easily throw us in concentration camps. But since we have state ID cards, we are safe.