What are you going on about? Have you ever ridden in one of these?
They do have these buttons…
Comment on Men Harassed A Woman In A Driverless Waymo, Trapping Her In Traffic
empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
These cars need to have a panic button that allows a remote operator to talk to the passengers, assess the situation, alert police and override the auto driving to get them out of bad situations. Same as an emergency call button on an elevator basically. I dont understand these cars to have any feature like that so far.
These cars are likely going to turn into hijack machines if they’re programmed for “maximum safety” in situations where, realistically, hitting a pedestrian or causing damage to the vehicle through dangerous terrain may be the only way out with a living passenger.
But that of course requires labor so it will not happen until legally mandated.
cbarrick@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 1 month ago
It sounds like Waymo were already aware of the situation, in fact they called her in the vehicle as it was happening.
Not to say this isn’t a good suggestion, but they seem to have other systems in place that worked.
empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
It worked, only because these men were only being creepy sexist pieces of shit and didn’t have worse intentions. Customer support according to this article has no control over the vehicle other than restarting the auto driving routines to make the car move again.
MonkderVierte@lemmy.ml 1 month ago
They do, she only used it after they were gone.
LodeMike@lemmy.today 1 month ago
They have a button on the center-front thingy but it’s not labeled panic or anything.
red@sopuli.xyz 1 month ago
Considering the length of your comment, you could have started by reading the article.
M0oP0o@mander.xyz 1 month ago
Well and the draw of these tiny driverless train like objects kinda goes out the window when you have to staff anything at all to monitor and control them.
lemmyvore@feddit.nl 1 month ago
I must be tired right now but I don’t see how a remote operator could have driven better in this situation.
You can’t get away from someone blocking your car in traffic without risk.of hitting them or other people or vehicles.
You probably meant they ought to drive away regardless of what they hit, if it helps the passenger escape a.dire.situation? But I have to wonder if a remote operator would agree to be put on the spot like that.
FireRetardant@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Yea I’m not too keen on giving authorization to hit pedestrians. If I feel threatened in my car, I am not allowed to run over the person so why should a driverless car gain that right? And if the panic button is going to call the police, how is that any different from the passenger using their phone to contact police? Seems like extra steps of middlemen and confusion when the passenger could just call once they feel the need.
I could defintely see a case for some extra safety features that help keep the doors locked and shut, maybe thicker windows too if needed to prevent robberies/assaults.
Zak@lemmy.world 1 month ago
You are not allowed to run people over merely because you feel threatened.
You are allowed to use deadly force, in the USA when you reasonably believe that it is necessary to prevent someone from unlawfully killing, causing serious physical injury, or committing a short list of violent felonies. The harassment described in the article probably does not rise to that level, though an ambitious lawyer might try to describe intentionally causing the car to stop as carjacking or kidnapping.
Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 1 month ago
Yeah somehow I don’t think tipping a fedora counts lol
MsPenguinette@lemmy.world 1 month ago
Is there any law in any state that would allow you to kill a 3rd party to escape being killed yourself? (If there were, I’d probably opt for not living in that state)
empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
The “hitting pedestrians” is an extreme hypothetical, and not one you should particularly get hung up on. But it is one that still has to be considered. Passive security measures only go so far for the passenger.
Realistically, a car can get out of many situations without hitting hostile pedestrians, such as reversing rapidly and then driving in an opposite travel lane to bypass the blockage. Or hopping a curb and using a sidewalk if it is not occupied (or just blasting the shit out of the horn if it is occupied). All things that waymo’s auto mode cannot and will not do, because it doesn’t have the reasoning to understand when such measures are necessary.
Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 1 month ago
If you legitimately believe your life is in danger, you have the right to escape or defend yourself, even if that means running someone over. This has happened in multiple countries with similar outcomes.
nyan@lemmy.cafe 1 month ago
Think of it as a backup for the phone in the case where, say, there’s an adult and a kid in the car, the kid has no phone of their own, and the adult loses consciousness with their phone locked. Or the car is being actively jostled by a group of people (say it drove into the middle of an embryonic riot), causing the passenger to drop their phone, whereupon it slides under the seat. Or the phone just runs out of charge or doesn’t survive getting dropped into the passenger’s triple-extra-large fast-food coffee. It won’t be needed 99% of the time, but the other 1% might save someone’s life, and (presuming the car already has a cell modem it in) the cost of adding the feature should be minimal.
GBU_28@lemm.ee 1 month ago
If you are in literal, actual mortal danger you are generally allowed to escape with the goal of escape. Especially relevant where waymo operates.
Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 1 month ago
I can’t think of a NY cab driver that couldn’t have handled this situation.
This guy isn’t doing fedoras any favors either - I’m already a bit on the skeptical side when I see a fedora.
TachyonTele@lemm.ee 1 month ago
Fedoras haven’t done anyone any favors ever.
empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 month ago
If a man jumps out in front of my car in traffic and points a pistol at me after I stop. I am going around or thru him and there is no other option. Anyone else trying to stop me even without visible weapons is going to get evasive maneuvers to protect myself because I am not dealing with that bullshit. That includes weaving far outside my travel lane or going over a sidewalk. That is self defense and a split second decision. Waymo prioritizes all outside obstacle avoidance which means it doesn’t even want to leave it’s set travel lane, which makes them trivial to stop like this with no recourse.
The point I am making is that self driving has a really hard time interpreting traffic or passenger emergency edge cases like this. A remote operator could make the decision to drive over curbs and other lanes, if free, to save the passenger, and realistically should avoid hitting pedestrians too… but in the case of an armed attacker - well, yknow. Like force for like force. And the medical point still stands. A panic button is needed.
5in1k@lemm.ee 1 month ago
I’m hitting them. I don’t know their intentions. But my intent would be to get away however I can.