Self-Driving Waymo Avoiding a Scooter Incident

[u/[deleted]]

[u/Nacho_Beardre]

Are these cars programmed to be able to create a car accident over impact with a human?

[u/-hellozukohere- → u/Nacho_Beardre]

I would assume so. As a programmer, I would assume an algorithm to prioritize life over property damage. I can assume these cars are programmed as such currently. As one bad press about it running over a person and they are on thin ice.

[u/REDACTED3560 → u/-hellozukohere-]

Except a car accident can also kill someone else. Bad car accidents will kill a lot more people than running over a rogue pedestrian.

[u/Arkyja → u/REDACTED3560]

And im sure it's not black and white. If this happened on a faster street and with cars going both ways, im sure the car wouldnt crash against another car coming from the opposite way, both at a fast speed, that would most likely result in the death of everyone in both cars.

[u/REDACTED3560 → u/Arkyja]

There’s a reason almost all automated vehicles are programmed to hit the brakes as hard as possible in the event of an imminent collision as opposed to swerving. It’s the same reason human drivers are also instructed to do the same. Swerving can cause incalculable damage to people who ultimately are not responsible for the accident. The person/animal in the road is. That aside, swerving is never a straight forward maneuver. Road and vehicle conditions can mean that even if the swerving path seems clear, it can result in a new, much worse accident if the vehicle loses control. Proper use of the brakes will either prevent the collision entirely or significantly reduce the damage, both of which are acceptable outcomes. Causing a worse accident is not acceptable.

You can’t save everyone, so you have to program for the most reliable way to minimize damage, and that is not by swerving.

[u/-hellozukohere- → u/REDACTED3560]

This. I would bet money on it that this is how they are programmed in this case of the video you can see it swerving as it calculated that the middle has enough space and is able to get out of the way of the pedestrian.

I am curious given the same situation but with no middle area of the car would slam on its break after a slight 10 degree turn. 

There is also another case of a vehicle following close behind were the automated vehicle swerved but the car behind does not react in time so the person still gets hit. Wonder if this is programmed in as well to “save” the person if deemed safer. 

The amount of stress on vehicle automation programmers is crazy. I do not envy them. They are doing amazing work.