Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for August 10, 2024

Like walk and chew gum.

For this same reason, I hope there are never flying cars.

The statistics are actually difficult to get. But studies DO show that humans really cannot put their attention on more than one thing… at least when one of them is driving. Even using voice control makes you a more dangerous driver. And forget about taking or making a phone call… because of the distraction of the conversation, not because of moving your eyes off the road (which doesn’t help, of course).

I can’t watch the road, watch other cars, watch pedestrians, and watch my speedometer all at the same time.

Self driving cars can’t replace us, until they start exhibiting road rage also.

People who look at their cell phone while driving, are letting a computer drive their car.

“Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can’t see where it keeps its brain.” Arthur Weasley

Hey Rat, are you willing to bet your life on that?

I personally believe, that until such time as Microsoft makes a vacuum cleaner, they will not have a product that does not suck.

May I suggest moving away from the sidewalk there? xD

Now they have autonomous tractor trailers, talk about scary!

Given the state of AI the main thing we have to worry about self driving cars are con artists trying to convince us they’re ready.

I read that the first time they tested a self-driving car in real traffic, it was in an accident.

While I’m stopped at a traffic light, I keep an eye on vehicles coming up behind me, making sure they’re slowing down to stop. It’s AMAZING (and disturbing) how often I see the drivers nodding their head down, glancing at their phone, as they approach me.

Instead of steenky dangerous self driving cars why not they use technology to disable phone when car moving?

Just wait til the cars start calling the cops because you’ve been speeding, or eating while driving, or you just came out of the bar and you’re a little tipsy. Or worse, the cars shut down because of one of those things.

I know I’m in the minority, but as I age, the idea of a self-driving car becomes more attractive. I assume within the next 20 years or so, I’ll have to give up my license. There is only limited public transportation here (like most of the US), which leaves only poor options for non-driving seniors. Dial-a-Ride services are spotty and extremely slow. Uber/Lyft becomes the only other dependable option — nd you’d be surprised how many communities have neither those nor taxi services. Having a self-driving car would allow me to remain independent a good bit longer.

I’m surprised they still have humans piloting airplanes. Self-driving cars are one thing, where there are a million other cars, pedestrians, wildlife, icy roads, etc. The skies are still empty enough that there are few things for airplanes to run into. I’m REALLY surprised that fighter planes are still piloted by humans: A fighter plane’s agility is limited by the fact that the pilot has to survive the manoeuvres (high G-loads can kill a pilot or cause him to black out).

I would vote for Charles Manson before Kamala

I’ll never drive.

Two things at a time is my limit. That’s why I never text while drinking and driving.

I’m all in favor of self-driving cars…..for everybody else. I’m a great driver, it’s all those other nuts that scare me

Humans CAN do two things at once. Just not well.

Reminds me of the old story:

Passengers get on a new airplane and hear this announcement:

“This is a fully automated airplane. There is no pilot or copilot on board. This airplane is completely run by computer. Nothing can go wrong”

I don’t know how safety can by tied to clicking a cell phone.

What is also dangerous is when a person is driving and the children with you are arguing and yelling at each other. At least, now a days they are tied down with seat belts, so they can’t come to blows. ;-)

In a small town paper near me, they give the court cases. “Texting while driving” violations have surpassed “seat belt” violations.

The key to autonomous cars and highwayys will be that human drivers get no where near the road

We’ll continue to kill each other in cars until the computers are given a turn to kill us. Woohoo!

Hey, I’m reading this while going to the store for milk…

Does Rat have 3 legs ??

You wanna impress ME, Rat, YOU take the wheel.

set cruise, drive with your knee, drink coffee, roll a doobie, put on your make up, smoke a cig. all possible

Rat’s thinking people can do two things simultaneously brings to mind Christopher Fry’s character in The Lady’s Not for Burning, the biddy who complains, “You can’t expect me to be Christian in two directions at once.”

Sounds like a plan.

I hate to drive. Never liked it as a teenager. For me, it’s a necessary evil.

If done properly… I think it could be wonderful for the elderly.

I’d worry more about those coming out of the local bar.

People are weird. Computer driven cars, sans hacking, much safer than humanity. I’m an auto insurance agent. I know.

And now you’ve got to mix marijuana into that group.

Driving and checking their cell phone are definitely not two things humans can do simultaneously.

Small electric self-driving cars would be a boon to the disabled.

I’m in love with my Google Maps lady. But, don’t tell Alexa.

Will the self-driving cars have inertial dampeners? Asking for several friends….

New DMV rules (based on driving habits):

Yellow Light: means “hurry up and go”

Red Light: means “5 more cars may go”

Green Light: means “stop and wait for the 5 cars”

Computers crash.

I refer to be able to react to the stupid people on the roads. I don’t trust a computer to notice the subtle warning signs of stupid drivers.

Listen to the 1950 old time radio program Dimension X, episode titled “With Folded Hands”. That alone is enough to convince us not to rely too heavily on technology takeover.

Humans can fail at uncountable things at once.

I’d love to have self-driving cars take over the roads. I don’t trust humans. Plus, I hate to drive, mostly because I have to dodge other humans.

Problem is, who built the computers?

Just not while driving, right Rat?

Why not combine the best of both situations and have the cell phone drive the car?

All you have to do to drive safely is assume all the other drivers are drunk, drugged, crazy and/or out to kill you. That last covers “self-driving” and “AI controlled” vehicles perfectly.

My sister totalled her car and had to get a loaner. The loaner has lane assist, which takes over and brings the car back if you stray out of your lane.

Problem: She lives in the country, and farmers drive wide loads down her road, which means she has to swerve onto the shoulder to avoid them. Lane assist takes over and puts the car back on target for the farm equipment to her, and there’s no way to override it. She has to pull over and stop every time she sees a farmer coming.

I feel much safer when crossing a street with self driving cars on the road. Barring a major computer service outage or multiple faulty sensors you can always be sure the car sees you when you have to catch the eye of a human driver if you can even see into the car. Self driving cars mostly get in trouble for being too cautious, particularly in unique situations like crime scenes or at fires where areas have been taped off or require unmarked detours. So self driving cars might take longer (they don’t speed, etc) but they are generally more trustworthy and easy to predict if you are a pedestrian.

While automatic cars can and do make mistakes, the last time I checked, on a per-mile comparison they are already safer than the average human drive, so there’s that.

I have blue tooth hearing aids, I can get calls and make calls without touching my phone. It’s such a relief driving, I can avoid all of the other crazies reading and talking on their handset.

I’m with Goat. I’d be real nervous to ride one too.

You’re overlooking the most failure-prone component of any vehicle: the nut that holds the wheel.

Jerry Lewis will now sing “Sunday Driving”.