Ken Larsen's web site - Driverless cars and traffic violations
My thoughts on Driverless cars:
One huge advantage of driverless cars is they'll significantly improve compliance with traffic laws. It's amazing to me how many drivers do not comply with traffic laws. I've witnessed instances of:
Speeding
Failure to use turn signals. This is epidemic. [example]
Round-About/Rotary right-of-way issue [example]
I'm dubious about when driverless cars will become the norm. In 1960 I saw a Life magazine article/advertisement which showed an illustration of a family playing cards while their driverless car drove them to their destination. It claimed that that would be the car of 1965 ... just 5 years away. Well, that prediction was way off!
I worry that technical issues will make driverless cars unsafe. A brand new driverless car may function properly, but after it's been on the road for 50,000 miles or so, some of its sensing skills may erode. Resolving these issues will take a lot of time.
(July 27, 2018) Here are a couple of intersections which I prefer to be conservative when I intend to make a left turn:
Farrington Road and Route 54 in southwest Durham (a driver and his female passenger were upset that I didn't enter the intersection when the light was green ... not green arrow)
For
both I prefer not to enter the intersection when the light is green ...
unless there is no traffic coming from the other side. I'll wait until
the next cycle when there is a green arrow.
Rules of intersections when making a left turn