[rwmj]

> Turns out, people are legally allowed to drive while being really shitty drivers

The UK actually has a law against this, see "Causing Death by Careless or Inconsiderate Driving (Section 2B of the Road Traffic Act 1988, amended by the Road Safety Act 2006, s. 20)" here: http://www.brake.org.uk/news/15-facts-a-resources/facts/497-...

It means you can be prosecuted for causing a death in a moment of inattention. It's a bad law from both sides: As you can see from the link above it doesn't satisfy the charity (who want stronger penalties), while at the same time being a catch-all law which could catch anyone out who drives, even if they are generally very cautious drivers.

By the way I should add there was already a separate law for causing death by dangerous driving.

One more reason why we need self-driving cars I suppose.

[SilasX]

It’s illegal to run people over by accident in the US too (if it was feasibly avoidable). The parent’s point was that prosecutors usually exercise their discretion not to charge them.

[ta999999171]

...because we have no solid public transportation in most parts, and driving has become a right instead of the privilege it should be.

[wbl]

If your momentary negligence can end life, might I suggest being very careful?

[rwmj]

Absolutely. However humans are simply not built to be incredibly careful for minutes on end, day after day. One hopes self-driving cars will never let their guard down.