I have an older friend whose driving terrifies me, but who lives in an area with effectively zero public transportation or reliable cab service. While I don't want to see this person on the roads, the alternative is literally moving into a senior community (which would probably be the death of this person).
Frankly, if self-driving cars became .75x as safe as the average human driver, it would still a net safety improvement if got this person out from behind the wheel.
I hate this mindset, lots people get killed by senior driver with impaired vision/reflexes and it's always the same bullshit "but it would kill him to take away his independence".
well, tell that to people that will eventually be under his wheels.
I didn’t say it was OK. I’m not in a position to do anything about it, and my friend lives many states away. But as a practical matter, it they’re going to keep running errands and such, I’d infinitely rather they be doing it in a self-driving vehicle.
I’d also suggest a little empathy for people in such a situation. “Taking away their independence” sounds so minor and practical, but often is basically a euphemism for “removing the sense of self-determination that allows them to stay alive”. It’s not as simple as saying “Old Joe shouldn’t drive anymore”, because the implications can be pretty severe. That doesn’t mean that it’s a great excuse for Joe to keep driving! But it does mean that there are some pretty big philosophical conversations to be had about it. And if/when self-driving cars come around, a lot of those drawbacks vanish in a puff of smoke. Then we can say, as a society, “we want you to keep just as much independence as you’ve always had! You just don’t need to be the one working the controls of the car anymore, but it’s still going to take you on every errand and friend visit you’d ever want to go on, and actually help you be even more capable.” That sounds pretty damn splendid to me.
Frankly, if self-driving cars became .75x as safe as the average human driver, it would still a net safety improvement if got this person out from behind the wheel.