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Comment by donkeyd | Hacker News Reader

> it's really hard for me to see me being better at it than a computer

There's a big difference between seeing and interpreting. The car sees literally everything and can maybe identify most things, but a pedestrian window shopping across the street isn't really that interesting and neither is a bollard. As humans, we filter out the unimportant stuff to focus on the important stuff. We can also pickup on subtle clues in posture, through eye contact and even through the driving style of another person. The car will see all this, even in people across the street, but it won't be able to interpret it.

Humans are still way ahead of anything close to autonomy in most situations and it will take years for anyone to get close to covering 95% of situations. Removing the steering wheel needs way more than 95% covered.

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> We can also pickup on subtle clues in posture, through eye contact and even through the driving style of another person.

I think this is what a lot of people take for granted. Driving anywhere where there is another vehicle immediately becomes a social activity. There is a tacit agreement to work within the framework of the enforced driving laws, but beyond that there is a social agreement as to who is doing that. Even which driving laws we follow when and were is fluid, but relatively cohesive among drivers.

It's why pedestrians try to make eye contact with drivers. It's why drivers make eye contact when there is even an iota of ambiguity on who has the right of way. It's why almost no one drives at the posted speed on a high way and we usually go as fast as the fastest lead driver. It's why we gesture, flash our lights, honk, and sometimes curse. We've built vehicles to communicate as much as possible, but that is still not even an ounce of what we can communicate with our eyes.

And sure, when vehicles communicate with each other, that will be even better. In the meantime you've got different actors using incompatible protocols.

> It's why pedestrians try to make eye contact with drivers.

I do this so I know they've seen me, otherwise I've almost been run over. If cars would stop because generic object was in the way, that special social cue wouldn't be needed.

you think the average driver is aware of other people's posture and eye contact while driving?

Yes. Humans are currently much better at recognizing subtle danger signs and planning accordingly.

As one example, let’s say you have a right turn a few hundred yards ahead of you. There are no cars behind or beside you, but there is a long row of parallel parked cars next to the right lane.

An average human driver, anticipating the danger of a car door opening, will stay in the left lane until the last minute, or at least slow down considerably. A current self-driving car will likely stay in the right lane and proceed at the speed limit.

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