# Driverless cars **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 13, 2017, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driverless-cars/777038 "2017-01-13T15:14:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driverless-cars/777038/21 "2017-01-13T23:10:16Z")
Cars already have black boxes and have for about a decade. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2017, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driverless-cars/777038/22 "2017-01-13T23:27:08Z")
What will be an issue as we make the transition is that although driverless cars will almost certainly be safer in the aggregate, they’ll still make mistakes. And most importantly, the mistakes they make will be different from the ones humans make. Many (most?) autonomous accidents will leave humans saying things like “How could it be so dumb to screw \*that \*up??!? A person would never do that.” Meanwhile not giving the machine credit for the dozens of accidents it didn’t have in circumstances where humans would have. I predict that will be a significant obstacle to adoption until we get enough history that the total outcome is inescapable. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driverless-cars/777038/23 "2017-01-14T00:14:06Z")
> [@Vicsage](#): > > If the government decides they’re safer, its not hard to see them requiring all new cars be equipped with the function. And with the young being addicted to their phones already, why drive? Let the car do it. And if driverless cars are safer, then insurance companies will jack up premiums on older cars, making it harder to own. I don’t see anyone (with a few exceptions) who is born today will know how to drive a car. How many people today can drive a horse and buggy? The transition to new tech is quicker than you think. Look in the student parking lot of your local high school how many of the cars are older hand-me-downs? A car is probably the second most expensive thing people buy in their lives (after a house). The cost savings from a driverless-only car are minimal (no steering column & limited dashboard), meaning there won’t be a material reduction in the cost of a new car. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2017, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driverless-cars/777038/24 "2017-01-14T20:50:29Z")
> [@Vicsage](#): > > If the government decides they’re safer, its not hard to see them requiring all new cars be equipped with the function. And with the young being addicted to their phones already, why drive? Let the car do it. And if driverless cars are safer, then insurance companies will jack up premiums on older cars, making it harder to own. I don’t see anyone (with a few exceptions) who is born today will know how to drive a car. How many people today can drive a horse and buggy? The transition to new tech is quicker than you think. This I’d rather having flying “cars” I hate traffic. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/driverless-cars/777038.md?page=1)