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Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, SF and Phoenix

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Re: Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, SF and Phoenix

#131

Post by toast0 »

greesil wrote: post #21

I have seen a Waymo do a very stupid thing where it darted across a busy street, and it left very little margin of error for the oncoming traffic, which happened to be a loaded dump truck that could not have stopped. The dump truck driver was clearly surprised. It was a move that I never would have made as a driver. Did they dial the aggression up? I'm sure they're safer than humans in aggregate as there are some dum…

That reminds me of the Feb 14, 2016 collision in Mountain View [1] (sorry for pdf, but it has the best images of articles I saw) between a Google self-driving car and a VTA articulated bus. TLDR, the software and the safety driver thought the bus would move out of the way because it was a big vehicle and a professional driver. From the report:

> Google said it has tweaked its software to "more deeply understand that buses and other large vehicles are less likely to yield to us than other types of vehicles."

Maybe that got lost.

[1] https://phys.org/news/2016-03-apnewsbreak-video-google-self-...

Re: Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, SF and Phoenix

#132

Post by circuit10 »

toast0 wrote: post #106
circuit10 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who doesn’t drive but has done a UK theory test - aren’t you supposed to stick to the “slow lane” (no matter how fast you’re going) unless you’re overtaking? And that’s why it’s not actually called the “fast lane” but the “passing lane”. So I don’t see why you would be in the passing lane unless you’re going faster than others anyway. And there are plenty of lorries and coaches (trucks and buses in US term…

The slow lane and passing lane dichotomy makes sense in a rural highway with two lanes in your direction. It makes less sense in an urban environment with 5 or more lanes in your direction. Vehicles will be traveling at varying speeds in all lanes, ideally with a monotonic gradient, but it just doesn't happen, and it's unlikely to. In California, large trucks generally have a lower speed limit (however many trucks ar…

Isn’t the situation you’re describing where speeds vary due to queues going to be in heavy traffic where cars aren’t getting close to the speed limit anyway?

(also it’s kind of amazing that 5 parallel lanes is considered normal in the US… I think the most I’ve ever personally seen in the UK is 4 and that’s only on very major routes, and we don’t have any exits on the wrong side of the motorway)

Re: Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, SF and Phoenix

#133

Post by mixedbit »

s1mon wrote: post #10

How will Waymos handle speed limits on highways? In the city, they seem to stick to the rules. A large percentage of drivers in the bay area, including non-emergency police, drive well above the legal limit regularly. Unless Waymo sticks to the slow lane, it's going to be a weird issue.

With self driving cars population on roads increasing, a side effect can be that all traffic will be shaped towards staying within the speed limits. With more cars staying within the limits, breaking the limits becomes more difficult.

Re: Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, SF and Phoenix

#134

Post by iammattmurphy »

whimsicalism wrote: post #95
vasusen wrote: post #92

I am really excited for this. Once going home with my family via Uber in SFO we realized on the freeway that our driver was high and driving at 80-85 mph. It was a really scary experience and I couldn’t do much about it in the moment.

high on what?

Speed?

Re: Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, SF and Phoenix

#135

Post by CPLX »

QuercusMax wrote: post #117
CPLX wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

"People should break traffic laws" is a very strange position to take.

I'm sure it is in places that are dominated by strip malls and tract housing.

Here in New York City, we have a different approach altogether.

I find it much simpler and more straightforward and easy to understand. You always know exactly what another car is about to do. They are going to try to get in front of you and try to get where they are going, while not caring if that helps you go where you're going.

I never have to wonder what's going to happen next.

Meanwhile, I get off the plane in some flat state, hop in a rental car, and have immediately have no idea what the drivers are planning, what they have in store for me. It's exhausting.

Re: Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, SF and Phoenix

#136

Post by toast0 »

jeffbee wrote: post #29
izzydata wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is probably possible to get drivers to improve if the incentives were there or if they had no choice due to external factors. I bet it would be cheaper than money spent on self driving tech too. Or public transit on a track.

American drivers specifically can be improved. Every other country stands as an existence proof of that.

If only we honked the horn when our cars are stopped, to let people know where it is. And honked before putting our cars in motion, to let people know we're about to move. And while the car is in motion, to let people know the car is in motion. I saw no collisions while visiting India, and continuous honking must be a significant part of the reason.

Re: Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, SF and Phoenix

#137

Post by kirubakaran »

nradov wrote: post #112
cortesoft wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Luckily this won't be a problem in Los Angeles, because traffic prevents you from ever going over the speed limit.

It's hilarious to see people in LA buying sports cars. Like even if you're willing to risk a speeding ticket you won't be able to drive faster than the traffic in front of you. Just a status symbol, I guess.

To the extent that it's rational, it's more about acceleration than velocity

Re: Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, SF and Phoenix

#138

Post by qnleigh »

A lot of people rely on Uber and Lyft for supplemental or primary income, so this could be very disruptive if it continues to scale. Are we not worried about this in the medium-term?

Also I appreciate many of the random human interactions I've had with Uber/Lyft drivers. Of course not every ride was great, but many drivers had stories and experiences that no one I usually meet would have. For me, the safe but bland experience of a self-drivng car isn't worth losing the human touch, not to mention taking away income for human drivers.

Re: Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides on freeways in LA, SF and Phoenix

#140

Post by rrr_oh_man »

qnleigh wrote: post #138

A lot of people rely on Uber and Lyft for supplemental or primary income, so this could be very disruptive if it continues to scale. Are we not worried about this in the medium-term? Also I appreciate many of the random human interactions I've had with Uber/Lyft drivers. Of course not every ride was great, but many drivers had stories and experiences that no one I usually meet would have. For me, the safe but bland e…

Convenience beats everything (in capitalism)
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