Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Waymo to begin testing on San Francisco freeways this week

techcrunch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 123 posts

Re: Waymo to begin testing on San Francisco freeways this week

#21

Post by timmg »

Sad90sNerd wrote: post #19

I don't understand why people are so eager to give up autonomy. I doubt the software is certified in any meaningful way (see DO-178B), the algorithms are unknown, and the NHTSA sits on its hands whenever these vehicles have accidents. Here is a litmus test: would you allow Waymo to drive schoolbuses with your children? I know I certainly will never allow my family or myself to get into a metal box going 80 mph withou…

Aren’t many/most airline flights auto-landed? (Certainly autopiloted.)

Does that bother you?

Re: Waymo to begin testing on San Francisco freeways this week

#22

Post by bigyikes »

Sad90sNerd wrote: post #19

I don't understand why people are so eager to give up autonomy. I doubt the software is certified in any meaningful way (see DO-178B), the algorithms are unknown, and the NHTSA sits on its hands whenever these vehicles have accidents. Here is a litmus test: would you allow Waymo to drive schoolbuses with your children? I know I certainly will never allow my family or myself to get into a metal box going 80 mph withou…

Show me the statistics. If there is data which shows that autonomous vehicles are significantly safer than than the 90th percentile driver, then I absolutely will put my children in it. In fact, it might be irresponsible for me not to.

School buses are an interesting case because they drive fixed routes, so you can imagine some intense mapping and route planning process which makes them even safer than a normal autonomous vehicle. They could also afford to have a larger number of higher quality sensors.

Re: Waymo to begin testing on San Francisco freeways this week

#23

Post by [deleted] »

Sad90sNerd wrote: post #19

I don't understand why people are so eager to give up autonomy. I doubt the software is certified in any meaningful way (see DO-178B), the algorithms are unknown, and the NHTSA sits on its hands whenever these vehicles have accidents. Here is a litmus test: would you allow Waymo to drive schoolbuses with your children? I know I certainly will never allow my family or myself to get into a metal box going 80 mph withou…

[deleted]

Re: Waymo to begin testing on San Francisco freeways this week

#24

Post by antli35 »

Sad90sNerd wrote: post #19

I don't understand why people are so eager to give up autonomy. I doubt the software is certified in any meaningful way (see DO-178B), the algorithms are unknown, and the NHTSA sits on its hands whenever these vehicles have accidents. Here is a litmus test: would you allow Waymo to drive schoolbuses with your children? I know I certainly will never allow my family or myself to get into a metal box going 80 mph withou…

Assuming the children are still supervised by an adult, I don't see the issue. As a rider, Waymo generally feels safer than a human driver.

Re: Waymo to begin testing on San Francisco freeways this week

#25

Post by id00 »

timmg wrote: post #21
Sad90sNerd wrote: post #19

I don't understand why people are so eager to give up autonomy. I doubt the software is certified in any meaningful way (see DO-178B), the algorithms are unknown, and the NHTSA sits on its hands whenever these vehicles have accidents. Here is a litmus test: would you allow Waymo to drive schoolbuses with your children? I know I certainly will never allow my family or myself to get into a metal box going 80 mph withou…

Aren’t many/most airline flights auto-landed? (Certainly autopiloted.) Does that bother you?

They also have two highly trained proffessionals ready to take control and tight SoPs for everything.

Re: Waymo to begin testing on San Francisco freeways this week

#26

Post by Sad90sNerd »

bigyikes wrote: post #22
Sad90sNerd wrote: post #19

I don't understand why people are so eager to give up autonomy. I doubt the software is certified in any meaningful way (see DO-178B), the algorithms are unknown, and the NHTSA sits on its hands whenever these vehicles have accidents. Here is a litmus test: would you allow Waymo to drive schoolbuses with your children? I know I certainly will never allow my family or myself to get into a metal box going 80 mph withou…

Show me the statistics. If there is data which shows that autonomous vehicles are significantly safer than than the 90th percentile driver, then I absolutely will put my children in it. In fact, it might be irresponsible for me not to. School buses are an interesting case because they drive fixed routes, so you can imagine some intense mapping and route planning process which makes them even safer than a normal auton…

[dead]

Re: Waymo to begin testing on San Francisco freeways this week

#27

Post by rufus_foreman »

Sad90sNerd wrote: post #19

I don't understand why people are so eager to give up autonomy. I doubt the software is certified in any meaningful way (see DO-178B), the algorithms are unknown, and the NHTSA sits on its hands whenever these vehicles have accidents. Here is a litmus test: would you allow Waymo to drive schoolbuses with your children? I know I certainly will never allow my family or myself to get into a metal box going 80 mph withou…

One of the last times I took a taxi, the taxi driver explained at length how he worked extra shifts so he could afford to buy meth which he would take in order to work more shifts which allowed him to buy even more meth which he would take in order to work more shifts etc.

I won't be the first in line to take Waymo on a freeway but at some point the results will speak for themselves.

Re: Waymo to begin testing on San Francisco freeways this week

#28

Post by numbchuckskills »

BadHumans wrote: post #14
panarky wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1.) Waymos are safer than human-driven rideshare vehicles 2.) The vehicles are standardized, comfortable and clean 3.) You can play your own music or none at all, roll down the windows or leave them up, while an Uber driver's preferences might not match your own

Citation for 1?

Waymo’s data was derived from crashes reported under NHTSA’s Standing General Order (SGO), over 7.14 million fully autonomous miles driven 24/7 through the end of October 2023 across Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. That data was then compared to relevant human crash rates resulting in police reports, injuries, and/or property damage.

When considering all locations together, compared to the human benchmarks, the Waymo Driver demonstrated: An 85% reduction or 6.8 times lower crash rate involving any injury, from minor to severe and fatal cases (0.41 incidence per million miles for the Waymo Driver vs 2.78 for the human benchmark) A 57% reduction or 2.3 times lower police-reported crash rate (2.1 incidence per million miles for the Waymo Driver vs. 4.85 for the human benchmark) This means that over the 7.1 million miles Waymo drove, there were an estimated 17 fewer injuries and 20 fewer police-reported crashes compared to if human drivers with the benchmark crash rate would have driven the same distance in the areas we operate.

Re: Waymo to begin testing on San Francisco freeways this week

#29

Post by EcommerceFlow »

aantix wrote: post #9
xnx wrote: post #3

The gap between Waymo and all other competitors in the self-driving space continues to widen.

Have you seen FSD 12.5.1.3?

He obviously hasn't. The tech community is in for quite a shock with Tesla robotaxi's come out in a year or so and blow out the competition. One factor not discussed often is how much smoother FSD is compared to all other self driving. Especially noticeable when going from FSD to the free AutoSteer or GM Supercruise.

Re: Waymo to begin testing on San Francisco freeways this week

#30

Post by bumby »

timmg wrote: post #21
Sad90sNerd wrote: post #19

I don't understand why people are so eager to give up autonomy. I doubt the software is certified in any meaningful way (see DO-178B), the algorithms are unknown, and the NHTSA sits on its hands whenever these vehicles have accidents. Here is a litmus test: would you allow Waymo to drive schoolbuses with your children? I know I certainly will never allow my family or myself to get into a metal box going 80 mph withou…

Aren’t many/most airline flights auto-landed? (Certainly autopiloted.) Does that bother you?

Avionics software has a much more stringent and regulated software process (and pilots still there just in case). Are you advocating the same for cars?
Post reply on HN