Driverless Shuttle Crashes On First Day Of Operation

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MrAl

Joined Jun 17, 2014
13,761
One night I was on a major highway that connects the west to Pittsburgh (we call it the Parkway West). It was late at night. There was someone in the left lane moving like a snail. I mean really slow. Maybe 4-5 MPH. I passed in the right lane. Just as I passed I glanced out the left window and SLAM ! A car traveling in the left lane rear ended the slow moving car on the left. They hit the slow mover at full speed maybe 70 MPH or more for that time of night.

I wanted to step to help but realized I might be a part of the next accident so I kept moving. I didn't see anything about the accident the next day. It couldn't have been good. Very good chance that occupants of both cars are dead.
Hi,

Very sad. This also brings up the question what happens when a car has mechanical problems while in the fast lane and cant get over to the slow lane fast enough.
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
16,430
Thanks.
On the other side, the shuttle did exactly what it was programmed to do, and that’s a critical point. The self-driving program didn’t account for the vehicle in front unexpectedly backing up. We had about 20 feet of empty street behind us (I looked) and most human drivers would have thrown the car into reverse and used some of that space to get away from the truck. Or at least leaned on the horn and made our presence harder to miss. The shuttle didn’t have those responses in its program.
Fix that and on to the next traffic issue.
 
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