I don’t, how’s that for a short answer?
Mind you, this is coming from a huge science-fiction movie nerd and robot fan, so theoretically, I should love the whole car-drives-itself thing, an SF standard since forever. And I do love the way Will Smith’s Audi stows its wheel in I, Robot, which is where I grabbed the frames for the topshot GIF. (Notably, that GIF is reversed, because while the Fresh Prince does trust his Audi to self-drive while he naps, he does not trust it to do the right thing when he’s about to get piled on by a bunch of Fruitiger Aerobots.)
I’m also a big fan of GM’s 1956 vision for self-driving technology as seen below, wherein a family of four is seen cruising effortlessly beneath the bubble top of a wheeled Wally Wood spaceship (which you may recognise as GM’s Firebird II concept) in the wondrous future of 1976.
And of course, I love Johnny Cab, because who doesn’t. Jonathan Entertainment Cabriolet is an interesting example, because he kind of gets at why I don’t see myself ever wanting a “full self-driving” car. Adaptive cruise control? Automatic braking? Yes, I’ll have those, but door-to-door from city to highway and back under computer control is a pass for me – even in a world where the machine’s infallibility can be taken for granted in exactly the same way that none of us ever wonders if a calculator did the math right.
You see, I would just be too uncomfortable sitting right there behind the wheel (or the space where it used to be, if I’m in Will’s Audi) as the car drives itself. I may have total confidence in the car’s ability to get me from A to B safely, but I would certainly be judging it. “Why are you changing lanes?” “Why aren’t we in the left lane?” “I wouldn’t turn here.” Etc. My head would be pounding. Just let me drive. (Assuming I can drive – make no mistake, I would appreciate being able to tell the car “take me to the hospital, I’m having a heart attack,” or “take me home, I overdid it on the Mai Tais,” and the safety benefits of that capability cannot be overstated.)
Strangely, I would be unbothered if I were on a bus that was self-driving (again, assuming take-it-for-granted safety of the system). Because who pays attention to the driving of a bus? Just let me know when I’m at my stop. But I can’t tune out like that in a car, where I’m constantly confronted by the fact that no one is driving, like the recurring nightmare I frequently had as a kid (feel free to psychoanalyze me in the comments). Sitting in the passenger seat while the car self-drives would be even worse. Know what would help? Put Johnny Cab in the driver’s seat. Even though he’s hilariously fake and doesn’t even pretend to hold a steering wheel (or have arms), someone is driving. I need that.
You tell us: Do You Actually Want Your Car To Drive Itself?
Topshot GIF: I, Robot/20th Century Fox
On a long highway drive? Yes.
On a twisty back road in a sports car? Absolutely not.
Absolutely not at all. I don’t like feeling like I’m not in control in a car, it’s why I don’t even ask for rides if I’m able to just drive myself
Yes.
I love driving, but I would love a car that was just a lounge on wheels capable of delivering me to my destination while I relax. In that situation, I don’t even think I need or want windows.
I wouldn’t want it for my only car, but I’d love to have one available – especially if it can drop me at the door and go park itself.
I would not want the Tesla thing, though. That thing has no space and you’re sitting lookign through the windshield in a driver’s seat but without any controls. I basically want to ride in an 80’s style conversion van.
Yes and No.
When it’s stop and go traffic – Hell Yes.
When there’s little to no traffic at all and I’m on the interstate and it’s boring as hell which makes me want to drive faster than I really should – Fuck Yes.
When I’ve had two glasses of wine at a friend’s dinner and I really should not be driving – Shit Yeah.
When I’m in a scenic area cruising along and sight-seeing is more important than driving – Why not?
When I’m in the suburbs and am inclined to blow stop signs and am just bored with it all – Sure!
Hmmm – Maybe I’d like to let the car take control more often than I thought I would.
No, but I would like everyone else’s to.
Yes, it would be great to relax a little in traffic and road trips.
I’d also like other drivers to use it so I can ride my motorcycle with a bit less risk of being creamed by some jerk on TikTok.
Gyroscopic stabilizers mean the Motorcycle world might not be immune here as well. I think the Goldwings have airbags already, and if not then soon adaptive cruise.
Yes. Stop and go traffic.
That is literally the only scenario I’d prefer the car to drive itself. That craptastic stop go stop slog through DC/NYC/Boston that I occasionally find myself sitting through.
Other than that? I’m a car guy for f-s sake. Of course I’d like to drive my own car. It’s part of the experience.
A firm “it depends”. The so-called Supervised FSD on my Tesla is nice on long interstate slogs. It definitely made a recent trek from NY to FL and back a lot more pleasant. Renting a license for a month was well worth it. The standard Autopilot ADAS would probably have been similar.
That said, if something can actually drive itself in all weather conditions to all destinations, I wonder if individually owning such a vehicle would be worth it. The convenience sure would be nice. But whistling up a robo-taxi would probably be almost as convenient. Most importantly, the liability would rest with someone else in case it goes haywire. I sure don’t want the liability for my malfunctioning “self-driving” vehicle potentially plowing down a family while I was legally not engaged in the driving.
Making a tiered system may be a solution. Limited access highways may allow people to not legally be driving. Anything else would need an alert human sitting in the drivers seat.
No.
No.
Yes. BUT not enough to take everything that goes along with it.
When cars can drive themselves, we will all become insufferable back seat drivers.
No. But – and this is a mantra I try to live by – you do you.
No.
Is that short enough?
My mom is close to 90 years old, the woman who helps her get around is 80. A couple of years ago they got into an accident when someone waved them into traffic. I want self-driving cars for her safety. I’m sure she will never see that, though.
The kind of self driving where I’m allowed to take a nap without any possibility of legal repercussions? Sure, though at that point I’d rather it be a bus or a train.
I hope that self-driving cars are a thing when my Mum’s no longer able to drive, because she’s already far too aggressive and she’s gonna put her Polestar into a ditch if left to her own devices.
Mum, I love you,
It’s a pedal not a fucking switch.
No. Buses, trains, and cabs all handle this job so much better.
the question is could we have a personal car that handles last mile movement that could be used like a train? Could we do this safely without a rail system of some sort and do this cheaply so infrastructure is not a worry? I for one hate having to deal with the rental car processes and I am on the top tier list Avis, so it’s actually fairly easy. But getting to Avis places even from big airports, finding gas or charging stations and the hidden fees they enact sure make the idea of having your own ride when you get there appealing.
I suppose how different would a bus be than say a family hauler. I would be hard pressed to fully trust self driving currently, but I certainly could see the benefits if say you wanted to drive straight through to somewhere and snoozing was an option. it would also be nice to be able to actually se the sites in stead of fully paying attention to winding mountain roads. It might also be considerably nicer to have some of the current crop of drivers who are already not paying attention tot he road have a system doing it safely for them.
Channeling my Vicar of Dibley
No.no,no.no.no,no,no… Yes
On a twisty road?… no
Doing 0-60 runs under 2 seconds? no
Setting lap records on a track? no
Around the burbs doing burban things? no
In the city doing inner city things? No (instead give me a good subway system)
Self Driving taxi? No (I want to talk to some familiar with the local area)
Going down the interstate? Yes
I want to ride across Montana and see the view and ignore the road. I want to drive through the endless pine forest in the South and sleep only to be woken up when I smell BBQ. I want to go across Kansas and not remember a thing (wait, I’ve already done that).
But I don’t want to do trust a computer to do any of the other stuff without making me hurl.
It kinda depends;
In a world where it’s like a tram or “people mover” at an airport, where you just get in, chose the destination, then zone out, play on phone, take a nap… then Yes.
But if I have to be (held legally responsible for being) alert, paying attention, with hands on the wheel and feet on the pedals just-in-case… then No, there is no point. It’s not saving me anything. That would make being in the car even more boring. I might as well just drive myself.
It depends. City driving or short tips? No thanks. But those long haul drives in the middle of nowhere, yeah that would be nice. I would always want to be able to take over though.
My opinions are from a person who has been driving 30 years and thoroughly enjoys having complete control over a vehicle. They may be drastically different to those from a person who has never driven or is terrified of being in control.
The only kind of self driving car I want is a room that takes me places. If it’s depending on me paying full attention and taking over at any moment then it’s safer for me to actively be driving.
I do, but only if I can be drunk off my ass and absolved of any liability of mistakes the vehicle makes. I don’t think it’s a realistic possibility in the near future as we are a long way off. There are just too many variables for today’s technology capabilities to cover every situation.
We are so far from full time self driving it’s not even a consideration at this point. I like driver assistance on my car for long trips, it reduces fatigue. I would prefer to hop on a train and ride that but we can’t have solid infrastructure in the US because of socialism or something.