Attorney Michael de Broglio on: South Africa, Law, Politics, Attorneys, Sport, Photography, Technology, Gadgets, Media, Crime, Road Accidents Fund,
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Self-driving cars are not new and we all know that Google, for example, was testing them extensively in parts of America. It was interesting to see that Uber is getting in on the act as well. One sort of imagines, when one is paying for a car service or an equivalent of a taxi driver that an actual taxi driver is going to arrive, but obviously they are now even getting to the point where they are thinking of cutting out those drivers!
I am sure that is still a long way away, but it raises a number of questions. Firstly, there are all the questions about safety and how comfortable you will feel, even at a reduced rate, getting into a car driven by a computer. The other issue that we all forget in these amazing times is that we are slowly beginning to replace all the jobs done by human beings, with automation. More and more jobs are going to be lost to automation and it is going to cause a lot more pain around the world and particularly in countries like South Africa. Many don’t appreciate that mining overseas is much more automated than it is in South Africa and with all the dramas, the strikes and the deaths involved in mining in recent years as well as the demands for much higher salaries one wonders how long there is to go before we get to a situation where many of those companies start automating in South Africa as well with the resultant further losses of jobs.
Back to the topic though – how comfortable would you be to get into a car driven by a computer? Or at 2am in the morning is that sometimes safer than some of the taxi drivers and services in Johannesburg? I have called services after a few drinks where the drivers were so bad, that I immediately found myself sobered up!
Posted by Michael de Broglio on Wednesday 20-Jul-16
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Comments
tersia said:
on Tuesday 23-Aug-16 07:48 AM
I do not feel comfortable at all to be driven around by a computer. What if somebody hacks into that computer and then drives you off a cliff or kidnap you - yes that can happen with people as well but they are supposed to have a back ground check. There is obviously for computer and man negative points but machine I do not trust.
Lourien said:
on Monday 01-Aug-16 11:23 AM
Technology is so advanced these days, and I am sure in the future this would be the next best thing and everyone will be making use of this. The only thing is there might be a few technical errors that might occur so I will not be driving in them till they have been proved to be efficient and safe. This is just another automation that reduces jobs and increase unemployment, but with the bad service we have today this is the only way to go forward and improving services.
Helen said:
on Friday 22-Jul-16 02:05 PM
If we have roads with all computerized cars, then maybe I will be comfortable in this car. But if it is only few then it is difficult question, I do agree that some of the decisions are up to human not to computers.
Latoya said:
on Thursday 21-Jul-16 12:39 PM
Sounds fun but I don't think agree I would be very scared be driven around by a computer anything can happen I will not trust such stuff. Might be good to others but not me.
Jolene said:
on Thursday 21-Jul-16 12:39 PM
I think this is amazing. I would love to experience this, it would be so scary yet exciting! I think a computer will drive better than some people!
Sarah said:
on Thursday 21-Jul-16 08:18 AM
It is amazing how technology keeps improving over the years. There is some cons to this as well. How does a computer work out if someone just drives in front of you or someone just puts on brakes? I wouldn't feel comfortable in the car.
What will happen if the computer system gets a error well driving you around?
Nicky said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 04:11 PM
I would love to have my own self-driving car but it does sound too risky and takes away the human control element. I think that a self driven uber is even more risky-so no thank-you for self driven Ubers.
tamzyn said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 01:58 PM
A while back I read that there had been a death as a result of a self driving Tesla, I belive it was the first death as a result of a self driven vehicle. I dont think its that bad compared to the accidents and deaths as a result of vehicles - although I woulod love to see some statistics on the amount of self driven vehicles in use and the accidents in comparison to ordinary vehicles, before I am driven around by an automated vehicle.
Kaylee said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 11:44 AM
I use Uber all the time, I think the concept is great! I don't know how I would feel about a computer driven vehicle though. I generally am a bit of a back seat driver and I think I could feel anxious. I wonder how it would work with taxi's and how the system would be able to avoid accidents with taxi's that cut you off and drive like idiots because you need a very quick reaction to avoid accidents with taxis! The other day I head about a woman being raped after entering a wrong uber. Safety would be a concern in that sense as someone could just jump in the vehicle or would Uber be able to detect more than one person in the vehicle. My list of questions goes on and on. I worry about this and I am not sure whether I would utilize Uber if this was the case.
Joyce said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 11:03 AM
I think I wont be comfortable in a car driven by a computer and would feel not safe
Daniella said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 10:53 AM
I would personally never get into an Uber that is driven by a computer , i would firstly be so scared something would go wrong that the drive for me would be unpleasant .
There are just somethings people need other people to do , a human is more likely to make you feel comfortable and safe , whereas a computer is unpredictable and emotionless.
Angelique Jurgens said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 10:33 AM
This would not work in South Africa. Criminals would be ordering an Uber in order to steal the Uber or its parts :'D. I wouldn't feel comfortable or safe is a computer driver vehicle, malfunctions happen all the time. Definitely will have a negative impact on the employment rate. Sort of off topic is when I went to the movies and there wasn't anyone helping anyone and everything had to be done off the machine which ofcourse was offline - needless to say I decided not to go to the movies. More and more everyone's jobs are being lost to robots/computer/technology.
Angelique P said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 09:14 AM
I think this will be good and bad.
Bad because there are lots of people going to lose their jobs and with the low employment rate this will only become worse. The people are going to strike even more and maybe starve from hunger. This will be a disaster we need more job opportunities and not it being taken away.
It will be good for the employer because he will pay less salary each month.
I will love to have a self-driving car. Much more rest for me and it will be safer to get from point A to point B. I think the accident rate will go down a lot and it will only make our lives easier and much less stressful. I think this will take a few years before it becomes a reality
It will be interesting to know how this car will work.
daria said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 09:06 AM
I will not feel safe in a self-driven car at all. The car will be to advanced and technological therefore to many things could go wrong.
Cornelie said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 09:05 AM
I don't think I would get into a computer car it would feel so weird. Also the employment rate will go down which is not good. They can always replace the normal minibus taxis with a computer less accidents will happen.
Sally said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 09:00 AM
In the times that we are currently living in I will not trust an uber driver or taxi driver or any of the services you get in South Africa, not referring to public transport. Computerized uber driver sounds great but technology can also have problems and fail. The people inventing this great technology is not really think what type of impact it is going to have on a countries economy if there is more and more job losses.
Brenda van den Bergh said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:55 AM
In my personal opinion i dont think i would climb into a vehicle that is being driven by a computer. There is no doubt that a computer driven vehicle will alleviate negligent driving in the vehicle you are travelling in, but it certainly will not have the reflex instincts to do everything it can to avoid an accident should another car be negligent, and that in itself can lead to a fatality.
Another thought/question: Regarding technology taking over the world.... If more and more people are losing their jobs due to everything being run by technology, will that not effect the economy even worse due to the fact that since people are not earning an income, they will not be able to purchase anything anyway or even be able to contribute to society in any way. No income, no tax?
Lucretia said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:47 AM
The idea sounds like fun, however, I would be skeptical about driving in a computerized car. Already there has been a fatality with one of these cars where the car did not "identify" with a truck resulting in the first known death.
Natasha said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:46 AM
Haha I don't trust a computer haha so no I wont be comfortable in a self driven car what if it gets a virus or some kind of error and then the car drives into something .No thank you
Sinead said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:45 AM
I have never had a bad experience with Uber but to be driven around by a computer...? I'm not too sure about that.
I can't believe how technology is advancing. It's impressive but I don't know how I feel about it.
Suzanne said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:42 AM
I don't think I will be comfortable with getting into an computerized car and trusting it to get me home safely. Of course, with a human driver, you always take a risk, BUT this seems to be a higher risk. Computers and systems fail us all the time and I would not enjoy being stuck with something I can't speak to or fix.
nina said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:40 AM
It is amazing how the technology is advancing, but I think that a line should be drawn somewhere, because taking away job opportunities won't bring a country like South Africa anywhere. I have to say that I don't think I will feel very safe catching a lift in a computer driven car, but at least you won't have a dodgy cab driver that could turn a great night into a nightmare.
Zanell said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:36 AM
I must say that I have never felt unsafe in an Uber. I don't know if I could trust a computer to drive me, what if you are about to be an accident, will that computer be able to avoid it if possible as fast an experience driver would? will the car be able to pick up that the car in front of it is driving recklessly?
Thabitha said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:33 AM
Due to high rate of crime I don't think I will be comfortable in a car driven by a computer, lets say you are driving during the night and its not safe to stop at the intersections or robots and this car is been programmed to stop and only move when its safe to do so the criminals will target them. The most sad part about technology is people are losing jobs you can just think of what is going to happen if all taxi drivers are been cut off.
Sandra said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:31 AM
What nonsense is this that there is a self-driving car? Not only is technology replacing our jobs, but it is replacing everything now-a-days
Jessica Apfel said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:26 AM
A car driven by a computer looses all human reaction, say for instance that a hijacker is approaching - will a computer be able to accelerate or respond at all to such danger?
Bianca said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:26 AM
I suppose that this has it's negatives and positives, as said in the blog, sometimes the drivers are negligent and your experience is not always pleasant and you don't always feel safe. If the car is being driven by a computer, you surely would not have that aspect of negligent driving (hopefully.) This however is also devastating to jobs and removes the person that is earning a living by driving an Uber. It is actually scary how technology and how it's advancing is slowly replacing manual labour. You must wonder about how long it will be before all manual labour will be replaced by technology?
Alexis said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:25 AM
I would not be comfortable at all. As well as i know where i am going and prefer to go the back roads, how can you now instruct a computer of same. I also like talking to the people as well. Ja Nee - I do not think i would like to get into one of those if i had a choice.
Mathilda said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:10 AM
I will not feel comfortable to be driving in a taxi that has no driver! I also just think its not that safe because a computer cant think for itself ,for example if a car suddenly turns into your lane or someone loses control and you have to get out of the way that computer cant think well I have to watch out for this car ..It does not have human instincts
And also imagen they have to make all the cars self-driving in South Africa these taxi drivers will Burn down everything in SA ...I just think its a bad idea to bring it to SA I mean our employment rate is already at an all-time low and a lot of people earn their income by offering a taxi services -so its a no for me
Clare said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 08:04 AM
I have to agree even though the Car being Driven by Computers sound cool, but I feel that this will cause problems, I mean living in South Africa we already see so much Jobs being taken by Technologist and I feel that it is sad people out there depend on there Jobs to feed there families, to get that taken from them because of Tech is sad. Why cant people create more Solutions to end world hunger and peace. Stop worrying about new Technology that's going to help cause so much pain.
david said:
on Wednesday 20-Jul-16 07:23 AM
i'm lucky - i don't mind driving drunk.
i do it all the time, so i am good at it.
Johannesburg based attorney specializing in personal injury matters including Road Accident Fund claims and medical negligence matters. My interests include golf, reading and the internet and the way it is constantly developing. I have a passion for life and a desire for less stress!
