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Comment by treesprite82 | Hacker News Reader

> If there’s no vehicles or people directly behind the car, no traffic close enough to pose a danger, and a quick spot check confirms this

No traffic close enough to pose a danger isn't a given in this scenario - there may well have been traffic.

> why would it take you longer than 5 seconds to reverse out of the way?

I think many would be at least slightly hesitant to back into an intersection. There would be initial reaction/braking time, time to check for and evaluate options, then time to reverse backwards with caution.

> In the end the garbage truck moved, which is why the fire truck was “able to pass within 25 seconds of encountering the Cruise car”.

The autonomous car did yield to the right to the extent it could, so wasn't doing nothing for 25 seconds. Just that (I'll go with the first responders' judgement) doing so didn't give sufficient space.

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Pull out a stopwatch and let it go up to 5 seconds.

Did that feel like too short an amount of time to watch your mirrors, and throw your car into reverse while making sure the hazard lights are on? The possible dangers at 4am are other cars (and you probably already knew if someone was driving behind you but you check anyway in case someone turned into your lane), people (who probably also heard the sirens and need to be yielding themselves) and animals (who are probably and hopefully not around anymore because fire engine sirens are extremely loud and scary). So you back up while watching your mirrors the entire time. By second 5, even if you go slowly, there should be space enough between you and the garbage truck for a fire engine to negotiate its way around you, and if there are other vehicles around but not also trying to get out the way, then congrats, you attempted to do your civic duty but the other guy failed. You’re absolved of your sins.

If that’s what happened, SFFD wouldn’t have complained to the City about this exact situation in which they described the three vehicles present: theirs, Sunset Scavenger’s and Cruise’s. Yielding in the way is not the correct maneuver when it doesn’t allow the fire engine to pass. Doing the maneuver that gets them through in the shortest amount of time without endangering anyone else in the process is, and it isn’t a complicated one, just un-fun and you shouldn’t be out-paced by someone who is literally outside their vehicle at the start of the situation when you are a piece of software that can never leave.

Have a passenger film you driving a trip across the city. At some random time while you’re stopped, have them unexpectedly scream at you to back up 40 feet right now. From the moment they do that, check behind you, turn your hazards on, shift to reverse, and safely back up 40 feet.

Check the video and I bet you’re well past 5 seconds when you complete the maneuver.

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