Honda launches first level 3 self-driving car | Hacker News Reader

Honda launches first level 3 self-driving car

asia.nikkei.com

7 pointsSenHeng6 comments

> It can free drivers from driving in congested traffic on an expressway when travelling slower than 50 kilometers per hour.

Sounds exciting until they got to this bit, only works when travelling below 50km/h. I wonder how this compares to Tesla’s autopilot. I’ve seen a few of those around here in Japan but rarely hear any reviews.

It works best in bumper to bumper traffic. It basically stays in a lane and follows the car in front, slowing, stopping, or accelerating as needed. It's the closest you can get to being on train tracks.

Must have been maddening for the test drivers who had to endure how many life times worth of traffic jam?

>There is a tremendous difference between level 2 and 3, involving a question of who will be responsible at an accident: the system or the driver

Yes, exactly, so who"s responsible? The article didn't say. Liability is the most critical element separating L2 and practical L3.

The answer will be the same as asking the question, “who is responsible for an accident when the driver was using electronic steering?”.

Of course L3 and electronic steering are leagues apart when it comes to how much control they actually have on driving, but this is a difference of degree, not of kind.

As long as car makers allow the driver to intervene at any moment, I can’t picture a scenario where the system is held responsible in the event of accident.

What might happen(and Tesla insurance is headed in this direction), is that car manufacturers will profile drivers and offer “safe” drivers a deal where accidents are covered under warranty.

I believe autonomous cars need to communicate with each other for the best results. if the cars could form a mesh network and negotiate passing, exits, and signal to cars behind that they are slowing or stopping, everything would be more efficient.

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