The interstate highway system is an enormous and expensive asset paid for by the taxpayers of the US. Shouldn't we have a conversation about the rights of citizens before allowing corporations to set a precedent that we will not be able to roll back later?
If the driver of a commercial road vehicle makes a mistake which causes a serious accident or behaves in a way deemed reckless or inattentive, they can go to jail. Similarly, I was under the impression that the humans who took over Waymo vehicles according to very conservative engagement protocols (and according to Waymo's calculations prevented several accidents) had responsibility for the road vehicle
Who goes to jail if Waymo vehicles behave in a similar manner?
Assuming the answer is "nobody", how did this get greenlighted with so little discussion?
It's the government putting people in jail, not me. And the details of who is responsible for the car under what circumstances does seem like the sort of thing that should be worked out - in public - before you have a software program operating a car potentially beyond the effective (due to latency etc) control of its designated human driver (for legal purposes) and whilst corporate PR represents the vehicle as entirely autonomous.
Especially if there's a sneaking suspicion that the reason these trials are able to take place in this manner is that for any given driving error, officers and employees of corporations who have chosen to unleash experimental technology on public roads are less likely to be held liable for the consequences of their actions than a regular driver due to the dilution of responsibility.
