2015-10-22
October 23, 2015
Should Autopilot Cars Be Required To Pass Driving Tests?
J. Gorzelany Oct 22, "Every state in the union requires
motorists to pass a battery of tests in order to be
licensed, so why not self-driving vehicles? That's a
notion recently discussed in a white paper written by
Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle of the University of
Michigan's Transportation Research Institute..." [Read more](http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimgorzelany/2015/10/22/should-autopilot-cars-be-required-to-pass-driving-tests/Hmmmm) Hmmmm... [See the UofM white paper: Should We Require Licensing ...](http://www.umich.edu/%7Eumtriswt/PDF/UMTRI-2015-33_Abstract_English.pdf). Of course! The question is
now, what should that test be? Should it simply be
the same test as administered today, but with the
car doing it as opposed to the human (that means the
automated car is empty except the examiner riding
shotgun barking out instructions) or is it a
progressive exam coupled with a well defined set of
conditions under which the automated functionalities
are "engage-able" (For example: NJ Turnpike
Southbound between mileposts X and Y, in lanes 2 and
3 of the "truck barrel" between sunrise and sunset,
without heavy rain, sleet, snow or fog; etc.) or
??? as in the report. Alain
White House sees roadmap for self-driving cars
D McCabe, Oct 21 "The White House is updating a document
intended to lay out a roadmap for innovation in America.
"In this final refresh of the President's Strategy, the
Administration has identified additional policies to
sustain the innovation ecosystem that will deliver
benefits to all Americans," the report says. The
document was first released in 2009 and last updated in
2011.
Among the priorities identified by the administration
are self-driving cars" Yea!!!
"and vehicle-to-vehicle communications" Whoops, they didn't get the memo. [Read more](http://thehill.com/policy/technology/257673-overnight-tech-white-house-suggests-policy-moves-for-self-driving-cars) Hmmm... Read the
report: [A Strategy for American Innovation, Oct 2015](https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/strategy_for_american_innovation_october_2015.pdf)
, p80 -> p86, p92. Alain
Surface Transportation Reauthorization & Reform Act of 2015
Oct 2015 "...Ultimately, this bill is about making sure
that we can spend less time stuck in traffic and adding
unnecessary wear and tear on our vehicles. It's about
making sure that the cost of goods and services we
depend
on every day are not needlessly inflated by poor
infrastructure and freight bottlenecks. It's about
allowing American businesses to be more competitive. And
this bill is about creating jobs – not just project
construction jobs, but jobs across the economy in small
businesses, manufacturing, agriculture, and more...." [Read more](http://transportation.house.gov/strr-act/)
Hmmm… Nothing about safety??????? Really?????? Finally on page 7 (leads with connected vehicles and has no mention of automated collision avoidance.) I don’t get it? Isn’t Safety the most fundamental reason for public-sector involvement in mobility?? Alain
To authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes
House of Representatives, Oct 20 A BILL To authorize
funds for Federal-aid highways, highway safety
programs, and transit programs, and for other
purposes.... " [Read more](http://transportation.house.gov/uploadedfiles/hr_3763_ih.pdf)
Hmmm…It is really unfortunate that the Lipinski language that Rep. Lipinski had in his H.R. 2886, the Future Transportation Research and Innovation for Prosperity (TRIP) Act, is not in this bill.
HR 3763, as it sits, inappropriately continues the “connected vehicle” initiatives which will require an enormous investment by the public sector to be effective as opposed to focusing on automated collision avoidance and other automated vehicle initiatives that require only public oversight and will be funded almost entirely by the private sector (mostly through the diversion of existing insurance expenditures from fixing things after collisions to paying for the technologies that avoided the accidents).
Somehow neither the White House nor HR 3763 see that diversion/reallocation which does NOT require any congressional/public-sevtor funding yet delivers enormous public safety benefits that evolve in the long run to enable ride-sharing which is be the only effective way to curtail mobility’s impact on Energy, Green House Gases (GHG), Pollution and Climate Change. Alain
Obviously Drivers Are Already Abusing Tesla’s Autopilot
A. Davies "...X, Y & Z
made the coast-to-coast drive in 57 hours and 48
minutes, a time that is still to be verified by an
independent third party. The three are veterans of
record-setting transcontinental runs: In April, X and Y set a record for the
least time spent charging an EV while driving across the
country. And Z, a
rally driver, set an unofficial "Cannonball Run" record
in 2006, driving from New York to LA in just 31 hours
and 4 minutes.
Arriving in New York in record time, without being
arrested or killed, is a personal victory for the
drivers. More than that, though, it highlights how
quickly and enthusiastically autonomous technology is
likely to be adopted, and how tricky it may be to keep
in check once drivers get their first taste of freedom
behind the wheel...."[Read more](http://www.wired.com/2015/10/obviously-drivers-are-already-abusing-teslas-autopilot/)
Hmmmm... OK, now that we have all of the publicity
hounds satisfied, can everyone now behave responsibly?!
This is serious business. Since Tesla is collecting the data
from all of these cars in real time, it should turn
off the system to each of its customers that that
uses it irresponsibly because, in the end, Tesla is
going to held liable when anything bad happens and
the liability may be so great that it may collapse
Tesla's value just as VW's corporate
irresponsibility tumbled its value. Tesla stock
holders should be fuming (or selling) now! Alain
Truck companies press for automatic brakes
K. Laing, Oct 20, "The American Trucking Association
(ATA) is pushing for federal regulators to require the
installation of automatic emergency braking systems on
U.S. cars and trucks.... [Read more](http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/257512-truck-companies-press-for-automatic-brakes)
Hmmm… I must be missing something here. If truck companies want automatic brakes, why don’t they just go out there and buy them. Why do they need the public sector to force them to do something that they want to do anyway. Are they looking for a quid pro quo (like longer hours of service)??? Something is missing here. Alain
Some other
thoughts that deserve your
Consumer Reports Stops Recommending the Tesla
J. Mouawad, Oct 20, "Consumer Reports dropped its
recommendation of the Tesla Model S after owners of the
electric luxury sedan complained of a series of problems
including squeaking noises, motors that needed to be
changed and issues with the car's automatic door
handles...The surprise change in rating on Tuesday sent
Tesla shares down as much as 10 percent in midday
trading. The stock closed down $15.07, or 6.6 percent,
at $213.03 a share...." [Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/21/business/consumer-reports-stops-recommending-the-tesla.html?_r=0) Hmmm.... And this
is before all of the silliness and liability
exposure that autopilot brings to the stock price.
Alain
Letter to Michael Melaniphy, P & CEO, APTA
L. Hanley, International President ATU, Aug 31 “I am writing with a sense of urgency, imploring you to immediately take action to save the lives of innocent pedestrians and bicyclists who are being struck and killed by transit buses across the United States… Read more
Hmmm...As [Lou Sanders](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/Lutin_Kornhauser_Sanders_Brief_Application_ACAT2Bus%20Transit_100313.pdf), [Jerome Lutin and I](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/Papers/130731RevisedLutin&%20Kornhauser_Ap_of_AutonomousDrivingTecht2Transit_072213.pdf)have been [imploring the FTA](http://orfe.princeton.edu/%7Ealaink/SmartDrivingCars/FTA_%20Proposal/131121%201001%20DRAFT%20J%20Lutin%20Narrative%20Proposal%20on%20Application%20of%20Autonomous%20Collsion%20Avoidance%20Technology%20to%20Buses.pdf) for some time now: it is imperative
that FTA address this safety problem on all fronts
including the deployment of automated collision
avoidance systems on all transit buses. Alain
Recompiled
Old News :
Half-baked
stuff that probably doesn't deserve your time:
###
C’mon Man! (These
folks didn't get/read the memo)
DragTimes Gets Pulled Over As Autopiloted Tesla Model S Goes 15 MPH Over The Limit – Video
E. Loveday, Oct 18 "DragTimes presents an exceptional
video of Autopilot testing in a Tesla Model S...." [Read more](http://insideevs.com/dragtimes-gets-speeding-ticket-autopiloted-tesla-model-s-goes-15-mph-limit-video/) Hmmm.... [See video.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CZe5DXeYzw)
C'Mon Man this is a childish publicity stunt.
AutoPilot did NOT select the speed. Is your next
trick to do a [Thelma & Louise](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z88U915uq8)? [C'mon Man!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRttPLMBJf0) Seems as if all of this
goofiness didn't occur when Mercedes, Volvo,
Subaru, etc. released similar features to their
consumers. Are Tesla folks fundamentally more
irresponsible or is this all about Tesla's
Donald-like hype-machine??? Calling it "AutoPilot"
when it's NOT was NOT a good call! Alain
###
Calendar
of Upcoming Events:
###
###
November 4-6, 2015http://www.podcarcity.org/siliconvalley
###
http://www.automatedfl.com/our-efforts/florida-automated-vehicles-summit/
###
###
##
Technix 2016 Envision Automated Transit (EAT) Saturday, January 9th, 2016
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Kim Engineering Building, University
of Maryland
8228 Paint Branch Dr., College Park,
MD 20742
Open to the public
http://www.advancedtransit.org/library/news/technix-2016-envision-automated-transit-eat/
Recent
Versions of:
#
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October 19, 2015
###
Self-Driving Cars Are Coming Right For Us
Stephen C. Oct 16 “… It seems like every billionaire with a tech company is working on a self-driving car, so they’re coming whether you like it or not…” See Video Hmmmm…. Well worth watching. As well as Video1, Video2, Video 3, Video4, Video@night:-) Alain October 15, 2015
###
Tesla’s autopilot lets cars drive, change lanes themselves
D. Durbin Oct 14 “Electric car maker Tesla Motors is leapfrogging competitors with a new autopilot system that lets cars change lanes by themselves.
Like other semi-autonomous systems
already available from Mercedes, Audi
and Volvo, Tesla's system
automatically keeps the car within its
lane and maintains a certain distance
from the car in front, both at highway
speeds and on city streets. It can
find a parking spot and parallel park
itself. It also uses cameras and
sensors to warn drivers about
potential side impacts.... Tesla CEO Elon Musk said
the system is also unique because it
will constantly collect data from
actual drivers and improve itself. The
system will note, for example, how
quickly drivers can safely navigate a
particular bend in the road or where
stop signs are located....
The autopilot update will be added to around 60,000 vehicles worldwide, including Model S sedans made after September 2014 and Model X SUVs. Owners will get the system through a software update starting Wednesday evening in North America…” Read more Hmmmm…. The lane changing is an impressive substantive enhancement! Congratulations Tesla. Alain
October 08, 2015
###
US urged to establish nationwide Federal guidelines for autonomous driving
Oct 7 “The US risks losing its leading global position in the development of self-driving cars if it allows a patchwork of varying state laws and regulations to develop, according to Håkan Samuelsson, president and chief executive of Volvo Cars.
In a speech to be delivered Thursday
at a high level seminar on
self-driving cars organized by Volvo
Cars and the Embassy of Sweden in
Washington DC, Mr Samuelsson will
say...
He will urge regulators to work closely with car makers to solve controversial outstanding issues such as questions over legal liability in the event that a self-driving car is involved in a crash or hacked by a criminal third party.
Mr Samuelsson will clearly state
Volvo's position on both of these
contentious issues.
He will say Volvo will accept full liability whenever one if its cars is in autonomous mode, making it one of the first car makers in the world to make such a promise.
He will add that Volvo regards the hacking
of a car as a criminal offense.
...."[Read more](https://www.media.volvocars.com/global/en-gb/media/pressreleases/167975/us-urged-to-establish-nationwide-federal-guidelines-for-autonomous-driving)
Hmmmm… Fantastic!!! This will really “shake ‘em up”. I’ll be on a panel at this meeting later this morning. Can’t wait!!! This is FANTASTIC!!!Alain See also October 02, 2015
###
“60 Minutes” test-rides Mercedes-Benz self-driving car
Oct 2 “As Google’s driverless cars have logged more then a million miles in the past six years, the rest of the auto industry is racing to keep up. Computer scientist Ralf Herrtwich hits the road with “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker to demonstrate Mercedes-Benz’s most advanced self-driving prototype. Watch the full story Sunday on “60 Minutes.” Watch video and watch 60 minutes on Sunday Oct 4. This is really becoming mainstream.
Congratulations Ralf! Alain
September 26, 2015
As Volkswagen Pushed to Be No. 1, Ambitions Fueled a Scandal
D. Hakim, Sept 26 “…It is not Volkswagen’s first run-in with regulators over emissions. When the United States began regulating tailpipe pollutants in the 1970s, Volkswagen was one of the first companies caught cheating. It was fined $120,000 in 1973 for installing what became known as a “defeat device,” technology to shut down a vehicle’s pollution control systems. This time, it equipped its vehicles with software that was programmed to fake test results, an action the E.P.A. rebuked in 1998, when it reached a $1 billion settlement with truck-engine manufacturers for doing the same thing…..
Cheating on emissions tests solved
several issues at once. Not only were
drivers rewarded with better mileage
and performance, but the automaker
also avoided more expensive and
cumbersome pollution-control systems. While
Volkswagen cheated behind the scenes,
it publicly espoused virtue. This,
after all, is the company that used
one of the largest advertising arenas
in the world, the [Super Bowl, to run a commercial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljI2S7rwZ1Y%20)showing
its engineers sprouting angel's wings.
...Confronted again, Volkswagen
continued to maintain that there was a
problem with the testers, not the
vehicles...Government officials then
increased the pressure on the company,
threatening to withhold approval for
its 2016 Volkswagen and Audi diesel
models. According to the E.P.A., that
is what forced Volkswagen's hand. On
Sept. 3, a group of senior engineers
admitted what the regulators had
suspected: .... " [Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/27/business/as-vw-pushed-to-be-no-1-ambitions-fueled-a-scandal.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0) Hmmm...So
UGLY!!! Alain
September 14, 2015
###
###
Automakers Will Make Automatic Braking Systems Standard in New Cars
B. Vlasic, Sept 11 “ Federal regulators said on Friday that 10 automakers had agreed to install automatic braking systems, which use sensors to detect potential collisions, as standard equipment in new vehicles.
But the automakers have not set a
timetable for the introduction of the
systems, ...Anthony Foxx, [the transportation secretary, said](http://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/us-dot-and-iihs-announce-historic-commitment-10-automakers-include-automatic-emergency)
in a prepared statement that emergency
braking technology could reduce
traffic deaths and injuries.
"We are entering a new era of vehicle
safety, focusing on preventing crashes
from ever occurring, rather than just
protecting occupants when crashes
happen," Mr. Foxx said....
The 10 companies "will work with
I.I.H.S. and N.H.T.S.A. in the coming
months on the details of implementing
their historic commitment," the
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration said in [a statement](http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/nhtsa-iihs-commitment-on-aeb-09112015) (Same
as the DoT Statement.) [Read more](http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/12/business/automakers-will-make-automatic-braking-systems-standard-in-new-cars.html) Hmmm...
This
is major because the automakers
"had agreed..." rather than "the
regulators had required..."
(although there seems to be a
little push-back in that "...had
not set a timetable..." We do
know that many are now offering
these systems at a modest
up-sell. So there may actually be
substance in the announcement.)
What is clear now is that we
should all Invest in insurance
companies that are creative in
insuring these new vehicles!!!
They are going to become so
profitable! Insurance gets the
cash benefit of the technology
without having to pay for it!!!
Wow!!!Congratulations Warren
Buffett. He must have played a
role in this. He stands to
benefit so much. :-) While
trucks are mentioned, (amazing that
buses aren't; DoT is SO
BAD!!), they seem
very much the stepchild. SO
unfortunate! :-( Alain
September 7, 2015
###
Google’s Driverless Cars Run Into Problem: Cars With Drivers
M. Richtel & C Dougherty, Sept. 1 “ Google, … has run into an odd safety conundrum: humans.
Last month, as one of Google's
self-driving cars approached a
crosswalk, it did what it was supposed
to do when it slowed to allow a
pedestrian to cross, prompting its
"safety driver" to apply the brakes.
The pedestrian was fine, but not so
much Google's car, which was hit from
behind by a human-driven sedan.
Google's fleet of autonomous test cars
is programmed to follow the letter of
the law... Researchers in the
fledgling field of autonomous vehicles
say that one of the biggest challenges
facing automated cars is blending them
into a world in which humans don't
behave by the book. "The real problem
is that the car is too safe," said
Donald Norman, director of the Design
Lab at the University of California,
San Diego, who studies autonomous
vehicles. "They have to learn to be
aggressive in the right amount, and
the right amount depends on the
culture."... [Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/02/technology/personaltech/google-says-its-not-the-driverless-cars-fault-its-other-drivers.html?_r=0) Hmmm...
Much of this is good; however,
many of the comments about warning
systems being turned off and gaps
being to large are a result of
poor designs and not the real
issue here which is that traffic
laws have been written to control
human drivers and placed in
language that will cause human
drivers to achieve the desired
behavior most of the time or at
the critical times. The law
addresses the process to achieve
the desired outcome, and not the
outcome itself. For example, one
might argue that the fundamental
objective of a stop sign at an
intersection is to ensure that one
proceeds through the intersection
only at a time when there is no
chance of a collision with traffic
in the cars traveling in the thru
lanes. Because of human
information processing limitations
coming to a complete stop is the
parsimonious way for a human to
achieve the desired outcome. (The
sight-lines on the approach to the
intersection are such that a human
driver needs to come to a complete
rest so as to be able to "look
both ways" and determine that it
is safe to proceed.) If, however,
the automated technology enables
the automated vehicle to determine
that it is safe to proceed prior
to coming to a complete stop, why
should that vehicle be required to
come to a complete stop?
Speed
limits are also an issue. For
many, they have little to do with
the maximum "safe" speed and their
enforcement is totally whimsical.
With automated vehicles we have
the opportunity to deliver a safe
speed limit which can vary along
curves, ramps, time-of-day, school
in/out, weather, traffic volume,
prevailing conditions, etc.
It would be a shame for the automated driving algorithms to be cloistered by the letters of the existing laws. Each of these traffic laws need to be examined and be re-cast with a view as being implemented explicitly by the automated technology. This may well be the most challenging hurdle facing SmartDrivingCars. Alain 28, 2015
Truck Safety Out of the Box from Autonobox
B Simpson, July 19, 2015 “The premise is promising. Develop and market a plug-and-play, forward-avoidance braking system for the heavy vehicle market that can be installed quickly, upgraded regularly, and even transferred from vehicle to vehicle if necessary.
The Autonobox System essentially is a
second braking system for heavy-duty
vehicles that addresses the
long-standing problem of brakes that
overheat after intense use like a
panic-stop or sustained use while
going downhill.... [Read more](http://www.driverlesstransportation.com/truck-safety-out-of-the-box-from-autonobox-9450) Hmmm...A
viable after-market retro-fit
opportunity. Alain
10, 2015
###
Self-Driving Cars Could Destroy Fine-Based City Government. What’s the Downside?
S. Shackford, July 15 “One of the propelling concepts behind self-driving cars isn’t just innovation for the sake of innovation, leading us to our sci-fi Jetsons future. If successfully implemented, it will make ground travel safer, …Local governments have become increasingly dependent on human screw-ups as a way to raise money. Speeding tickets. DUI citations. Parking violations. Those are all big money-makers for municipalities that could very well go away under a regime of self-driving cars….On top of that, if the theory that self-driving cars will lead people to own fewer cars holds up, revenue from registration fees will drop as well…. Read more Hmmm… No downside here! These have to be one of the most regressive tax systems, just behind lotteries and gambling. Governments deserve it, but will save because they will need way police police who now waste way too much of their time enforcing traffic laws. Police have much better things to do. Wins all around; No Downside! Alain 31, 2015
###
Lipinski Continues Efforts to Keep Cars and Other Transportation Safe from Cyber Attacksin Wake of Fiat Chrysler Recall
July 28 “…These vulnerabilities pose great risks and the federal government must do more to help protect Americans from these risks.”
Late last year, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act, originally introduced by Congressmen Lipinski, was signed into law. The Act increases the security of federal networks and information systems, improves the transfer of cybersecurity technologies to the marketplace, trains a cybersecurity workforce, and coordinates and prioritizes federal cybersecurity research and development efforts. “ Read more Hmmm… Besides protecting we must also prosecute. There has to be bad consequences and not notoriety to those that do the nasty deed. Alain 27, 2015
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###
Center for Automated Road Transportation Safety @ Fort Monmouth is Launched
Monday, July 20, 2015 – “After more than three (3) years of planning and several major meetings the substantive launch the Center for Automated Road Transportation Safety @ Fort Monmouth (CARTS@FM) occurred this week with the establishment of the not-for-profit. (501(c) (6)), New Jersey Corporation. The mission of this Center is to substantially improve safety on our existing conventional roadway infrastructure through the use of inexpensive automated collision avoidance systems installed on individual vehicles operating harmoniously with conventional vehicles throughout most, if not all, existing roadways. The scope of CARTS’s mission is across all modes that utilize the nation’s conventional road system: trucks, buses and cars. ..” Read more 13, 2015
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###
Automatic Cars Or Distracted Drivers: We Need Automation Sooner, Not Later
D. Norman 6/4/15 “Imperfect automation, continually getting better? Or distracted drivers, continually getting worse? Choose.
I am fearful of the rapid rush toward
full automation and have published
numerous articles about the
difficulties we will face because of
the mismatch of the automation and
human behavior. However, I am even
more fearful of the rapid rise of
distracting devices installed in
automobiles, mounted on dashboards,
worn on the wrist or body, or carried
on seats, pockets, and laps of
drivers...Each day seems to bring a
new distraction. Heads-up displays
(HUDs) that once were aids to
minimizing distraction by making it
easier for the driver to see
navigation aids and speed, are now
catching featuritis, that deadly
disease which corrupts products...."
[Read more](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/automatic-cars-distracted-drivers-we-need-automation-sooner-norman)
Hmmm….
Yup!! Plus more comments from
Don... "You
might also want to add your
traditional sarcasm saying "He
saw the light!" or something
because up to now, I have been
arguing for caution (including
my keynote at last years
automated Vehicles conference
(where I met you) -- it's about
to be published in the
proceedings. And I have a tech
review article about to come out
arguing the same caution (except
I was just able to add a
paragraph saying that all my
words of caution are correct,
but we still should switch to
automation quickly).
The most dangerous part of
automated vehicles is when they
are partially automated: the
better the automation, the less
able a person is able to take
corrective action. This is a
point I have argued for since my
early work on aviation safety
some 20 years ago but has been
part of the human factors
literature since long before
that ([Bainbridge](http://www.bainbrdg.demon.co.uk/)Hmmm...it
would not be bad to re-read
the [1983 paper](https://www.ise.ncsu.edu/nsf_itr/794B/papers/Bainbridge_1983_Automatica.pdf).). So we
have to skip this stage if at
all possible. I have long
argued that we should have
either all or none. it is the
mixture that is dangerous.
Basically, we have not solved
the human element yet. By this I
mean the pedestrians,
bicyclists, skateboards,
manually driven cars that will
always be an issue. Moreover
they will game the system:
deliberately ignoring the cars
under the assumption that they
are programmed not to hit them,
so they can do anything they
want.
This assumption will both stall
traffic, create roadblocks, and
also occasionally prove to be
false (automated cars cannot
overcome the laws of physics).
Another complexity is
aggression. Drivers have to be
aggressive to get through
traffic, but the amount and form
of aggression is cultural.
Pedestrians behave differently
on college campuses (they think
they own the place) versus the
same people just a few miles
away in cities, where they are
more lawful. Korean drivers have
to be aggressive to merge. And
in China or Vietnam or India?
Wow.
Milan drivers are the most
lawful I have experienced
recently, but even they lose
their patience." Alain
3, 2015
###
Rep. Lipinski Introduces Future Transportation Research and Innovation Act
I. Sancken 03/29/15, “Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) has introduced H.R. 2886, the Future Transportation Research and Innovation for Prosperity (TRIP) Act, to support innovative technologies that have the potential to fundamentally alter mobility in America and beyond.
"Surface transportation used to be
rather staid and unimaginative, but
today the very concept of 'mobility'
is being reinvented through research,
innovation, and entrepreneurship,"
said Rep. Lipinski. "Rapidly advancing
automation, connectivity, and
information technologies are creating
incredible opportunities for
transportation innovation. We need to
develop innovative ways to improve
safety, ease congestion, improve
personal mobility, and cut energy
use..." [Read more](http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/la-grange/community/chi-ugc-article-rep-lipinski-introduces-future-transportatio-2015-06-29-story.html#page=1)
Hmmm... Excellent! Alain
29, 2015
MOSI debuts nation’s first driverless vehicle open to public
D. Dangerfield, 6/12/15 “ Imagine a vehicle that can drive on its own. On Saturday, the public will be invited to take a ride in one. The new driverless Meridian Shuttle is part of an exhibit that opens at MOSI on Saturday. The vehicle allows up to eight people to ride around the first floor of the museum. Read more Hmmm…
It is all about starting.
Congratulations! Alain
June 10, 2015
###
NTSB Calls for Immediate Action on Collision Avoidance Systems for Vehicles; Cites Slow Progress as Major Safety Issue
6/8/15 “ WASHINGTON – In a report released today, the National Transportation Safety Board outlined the life-saving benefits of currently available collision avoidance systems, and recommended that the technology become standard on all new passenger and commercial vehicles.
"You don't pay extra for your
seatbelt," said Chairman Christopher
A. Hart. "And you shouldn't have to
pay extra for technology that can help
prevent a collision altogether."... [Read more](http://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/PR20150608b.aspx) Hmmm
Yea!!! Finally some
semblance of sanity in
Washington. Alain
29, 2015
###
###
John F. Nash Jr., Math Genius Defined by a ‘Beautiful Mind,’ Dies at 86
E. Goodmay, May 24 “…Dr. Nash and his wife, Alicia, 82, were in a taxi on the New Jersey Turnpike in Monroe Township around 4:30 p.m. when the driver lost control while veering from the left lane to the right and hit a guardrail and another car, Sgt. Gregory Williams of the New Jersey State Police said.
The couple were ejected from the cab
and pronounced dead at the scene. The
State Police said it appeared that
they had not been wearing
seatbelts.... [Read more](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/25/science/john-nash-a-beautiful-mind-subject-and-nobel-winner-dies-at-86.html)
See also: [John, Alicia Nash Remembered After Fatal Crash](http://www.towntopics.com/wordpress/2015/05/27/john-alicia-nash-remembered-after-fatal-crash/)
A Beautiful Mind Mathematician John Nash and His Wife Killed in N.J. Car Crash ;
Hmmm… So tragic!!!
What a crying shame!!! So
preventable!!! We will miss
them :-(
Unfortunately,
the NYT and others tried but
missed the fundamental point by
following up with ["Deaths of Math Genius John F. Nash Jr. and Wife Show Need to Use Seatbelts in Back, Experts Say](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/26/nyregion/deaths-of-math-genius-john-f-nash-jr-and-his-wife-show-need-to-use-seatbelts-in-back-experts-say.html)
". Why do we so easily put up
with crashes in the first place?
It is as if it is OK to go around
crashing, just put on a seat
belt. Technology is available to
avoid crashes, but there isn't
sufficient public policy focus on
avoiding crashes to accelerate its
adoption and enhancement.
The fundamental problem was that the taxi was not equipped with available automated stability control, lane keeping and collision avoidance systems. This was not an accident, it was a failed public safety policy that refuses to move beyond crash mitigation and its challenged “V2x” initiatives to embrace forthright automated crash avoidance.
Moreover, there is a failed Taxi regulatory structure that doesn’t even hint that taxis should have electronic stability control, automated lane keeping and collision avoidance. What is the purpose of taxi regulation, to keep “Ubers” out of business?
It
is time for the nation's
transportation policy to focus intelligence/automation
on the vehicle in support of the
driver. Hopefully
Congress will restructure the
pending transportation legislation
to focus automated vehicle
technologies that actively assist
drivers when they make driving
mistakes. We are not perfect. We
deserve a public safety policy
that is more mindful of our
imperfections. Policy that isn't
aimed at just warning and scolding
us but actively takes over and
does the right thing. We, not the
infrastructure, are
the cause of most of the the
highway carnage. It is the driver
who needs help and our public
policy should focus on delivering
that help. Alain
21, 2015
###
The View from the Front Seat of the Google Self-Driving Car
Chris Urmson May 11, 2015 “After 1.7 million miles we’ve learned a lot — not just about our system but how humans drive, too. The most common accidents our cars are likely to experience in typical day to day street driving — light damage, no injuries — aren’t well understood because they’re not reported to police. Yet according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data, these incidents account for 55% of all crashes. It’s hard to know what’s really going on out on the streets unless you’re doing miles and miles of driving every day. And that’s exactly what we’ve been doing with our fleet of 20+ self-driving vehicles and team of safety drivers, who’ve driven 1.7 million miles (manually and autonomously combined). The cars have self-driven nearly a million of those miles, and we’re now averaging around 10,000 self-driven miles a week (a bit less than a typical American driver logs in a year), mostly on city streets. In the spirit of helping all of us be safer drivers, we wanted to share a few patterns we’ve seen. A lot of this won’t be a surprise, especially if you already know that driver error causes 94% of crashes.
If you spend enough time on the
road, accidents will happen whether
you're in a car or a self-driving
car. Over the 6 years since we
started the project, we've been
involved in 11 minor accidents
(light damage, no injuries) during
those 1.7 million miles of
autonomous and manual driving with
our safety drivers behind the wheel,
and not once was the self-driving
car the cause of the accident. ...
We'll continue to drive thousands of
miles so we can all better
understand the all too common
incidents that cause many of us to
dislike day to day driving — and
we'll continue to work hard on
developing a self-driving car that
can shoulder this burden for us." [Read more](https://medium.com/backchannel/the-view-from-the-front-seat-of-the-google-self-driving-car-46fc9f3e6088)
Hmmm…. MUST
reading; HOWEVER, we need
much more information to be
released, not just a few
examples. Please make your data
public! We don't need to know who
but we desperately need to know
what so that not only
Google, but the rest of us
can... "...work hard on
developing..."
SmartDrivingCars "....that can
shoulder this burden for us." Alain
Mailto:alaink@princeton.edu This list is maintained by Alain Kornhauser and hosted by the Princeton University LISTSERV.
This list is maintained by Alain Kornhauser and hosted by the Princeton University LISTSERV.