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by umberway 3426 days ago
Yes, more than that: if robot cars could be made incapable of hitting pedestrians, then children might start to roam again. It would be a marvellous unintended consequence...
2 comments

No, from talking with some of these engineers, I'm pretty sure it's completely intended.
that is impossible in real world. if you go 50 kmh in 50 kmh zone, and small kid jumps 2m in front of your car suddenly, there is nothing anybody or any software can do. if it's 5m, would you rather crash and kill the parents than the kid? what about 2 kids?

it's dangerous direction of thoughts, meaning kids won't have to be careful when outside. but you have bikes, you have tons of other dangers.

Take an evasive maneuver at the very limits of the car's handling, brought to you by the speed of computers, while all the other cars around you adjust at similarly lightning-fast speeds?
Plus kids seldom appear completely out of nowhere. They will be tracked even when they are just on the side of the road.

It will still be possible to hit a pedestrian, but much less likely.

Well yes, we can't eliminate all dangers, but we can bring them down significantly and the rest is covered by teaching our children basic self-preservation practices. Like don't run out on to the street without looking even if cars can stop automatically.