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by adamkf 1063 days ago
In my experience living in SF, these cars are much safer than the typical drivers in my neighborhood for pedestrians. Most human drivers around here don't even bother to stop at stop signs, and instead just slow slightly. With the cruise and Waymo cars, I feel like the risk is a bit lower when I'm on my bike or walking.

I have witnessed a Cruise car stopping in the middle of the road when faced with an oncoming emergency vehicle, so I totally buy that they aren't ready for prime time yet.

Honestly, I'd prefer if we prioritized enforcing existing traffic laws for regular vehicles.
1 comments
kaycebasques 1063 days ago
I live in "the outside lands" [1] so I see them all the time. I think they do a lot of testing out here. I can only think of one time that a Cruise acted erratically and put me on guard. But honestly they drive so gradually and predictably that I am confident I could have got out of the way. I don't recall a single sketchy moment with a Waymo, but I'm a Googler so maybe we just chalk that up as incentivized blindspot and render that as inadmissible in the court of HN.

On the other hand, every day I see human drivers needlessly endangering themselves and others. Every. Single. Day.

Maybe the equation changes with more robo-drivers and less human drivers. I would take the other side of that bet any day.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outside_Lands

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runeb 1063 days ago
I moved here from Europe and I am absolutely shocked at how reckless the drivers are. In the old country I think I saw a car run a red light once in 20 years of driving. Here is seems I see it every other day.
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koheripbal 1063 days ago
"Europe" is very vague when it comes to driving. Italy and Greece and all of eastern Europe have some of the worse (aggressive) driving on earth.
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jahnu 1063 days ago
Anecdote: I drive in Italy at least once a year and never found it particularly bad or aggressive. I’ve driven in Greece too and also found it normal.

Data: Both are substantially safer than the US

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_traffic...

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gonehome 1062 days ago
Yeah, the US is also mixed given its size depending on where you are.

The most dangerous driving I’ve witnessed was in Jamaica and the UAE, but that was a while ago.

The US does seem somewhere in-between those and Europe/uk.

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