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About 15 months back I wrote a blog entry which predicted that the problem with driver-less cars would likely not be these cars themselves but the other traffic they encounter. Then I opined:
I think that this technology will probable succeed except for one small issue ... the human driver in the other car. I know that I often look to the driver of the other car for visual cues as to what to do ... the eyes, the hand gestures, the demeanor (passive or aggressive). I think that it is unlikely that computer algorithms will ever be able to pick up such subtle visual cues. And, at least initially, seeing a driver-less car approach may cause mishaps just from the shock itself. Thus, while driver-less cars may not run into things, things may run into them.Now it seems that my surmises may be coming true as these cars have so far been involved in at least eleven accidents just in Google test cars ... all, supposedly, the fault of the other drivers ... see: Associated Press Story for some interesting data. Although Google will not release all the important details of these accidents, I do see from what they did release that the actual problems may involve such complications as I had previously predicted.
