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I know there are a lot of topics about self driving cars but do you think when/if the industry perfects the technology will it mean people no longer have to own a valid driver's license? Or no people will still be required to own a DL in case an unexpected situation arises and they have to take over. Posters keep mentioning how it will be boon for seniors who are no longer allowed to drive or help those who are physically unable to.
If the self driving cars must have the ability for a human to take over, then that person taking over most likely will be required to have a DL. If there is no such requirement or even ability, than I doubt it would be required because it is essentially a taxi.
This could reopen (or open for the first time) the constitutional question of whether any kind of permit or licensure has ever been legal to operate a conveyance to move goods or persons on a public roadway. How is one equipped with a motor constitutionally different from those propelled by human effort or drawn by horse, which were never restricted before the arrival of the motorized vehicle.
I know there are a lot of topics about self driving cars but do you think when/if the industry perfects the technology will it mean people no longer have to own a valid driver's license? Or no people will still be required to own a DL in case an unexpected situation arises and they have to take over. Posters keep mentioning how it will be boon for seniors who are no longer allowed to drive or help those who are physically unable to.
What if the self-driving autonomous vehicle doesn't even have a steering wheel, it would be impossible to take over?
Like others have said, if it's basically a taxi and you are sitting in the back or riding "shotgun" and nobody is in the driver seat, or lets say there is no driver's seat, then I would have to say the passengers don't need to have a DL.
The question would be how long before we see something like that, no driver at all, go/become mainstream. I know Waymo has been testing their fleet of autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivans in Phoenix for years, but the vehicles have been ferrying the public around portions of town without a backup driver since November.
I know there are a lot of topics about self driving cars but do you think when/if the industry perfects the technology will it mean people no longer have to own a valid driver's license? Or no people will still be required to own a DL in case an unexpected situation arises and they have to take over. Posters keep mentioning how it will be boon for seniors who are no longer allowed to drive or help those who are physically unable to.
I believe absolutely a DL will be required, at least for our lifetimes. People are deluding themselves if they think they will someday be able to ride in a self-driving car without licensed a driver in it. First recent incidents have proven that the technology can not deal with all of the situations that human drivers can deal with. Second, a competent human will always have to be responsible for the car at all times.
Example, what would happen if a mentally incompetent person was riding in a self-driving car when it breaks down in the fast lane on the freeway? Instead of calling 911, the mentally challenged person thinks they have arrived at their destination, so they get out of the car and start walking around the freeway. Then they walk right into the path and get run over by another self-driving car, which has a blind person riding in it. The blind person feels a bump, but has no idea that the car just ran over a person, so they don't call 911. And so a simple incident of a broken down car, would just keep getting worse, and that is exactly what would happen.
The restrictions on using SD will lessen over the years and decades ahead, Id say at some point, DLs will no longer be necessary, but thats at least 25-30 yrs ahead.
There will be some bumps along the way, but like it or not, this IS where the future of vehicles is going, nothing is going to change that this far along, too much money, planning has been invested into this across so many industries, car manufacturers, Google, etc.
Im not surprised there are people that think we should wait on this switchover, there were many that fought the switch from horse/buggy to car, of course, they used things like safety in their arguments, but here we are 100+ yr later...It will probably be the same way with SD, Im sure in another 100 yrs, people will be fighting the switch to whatever comes after SD, related industries will spring up, some will become obsolete due to the new tech, and so on and on. This is what progress looks like.
This could reopen (or open for the first time) the constitutional question of whether any kind of permit or licensure has ever been legal to operate a conveyance to move goods or persons on a public roadway. How is one equipped with a motor constitutionally different from those propelled by human effort or drawn by horse, which were never restricted before the arrival of the motorized vehicle.
Right.
And the first hot-air balloons weren't licensed, so that makes the FAA regulations regarding the operation of Cessnas, Gulfstreams, and Boeings all unconstititonal...
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