Is it? What if it runs out of power at 70mph in the middle of a motorway? I’d have thought sudden breaking would have been the most dangerous thing to do
It shouldn't be as emergency stops can be performed at any point in time - usually when there's an emergency. Obviously it's important that following drivers have left enough space so that they can react in time, but that's down to their driving skill (or lack of, if they're too close).
I'd consider that autonomous vehicles should apply the brakes if they find themselves in an uncertain situation as reducing speed is going to minimise any impact. However, this was being driven acoustically and the handbrake shouldn't have been applied automatically by the power running out. At the worst, if a handbrake fails and can't be used, you can always shove a couple of bricks under the wheels to stop the vehicle rolling.
Maximum braking on an empty highway is still quite dangerous.
The problem about “yeah well they should have left space” or “they should have responded perfectly to a car that’s suddenly braking” is that it’s not realistic to the real world. It’s not a least-surprise event.
I'd consider that autonomous vehicles should apply the brakes if they find themselves in an uncertain situation as reducing speed is going to minimise any impact. However, this was being driven acoustically and the handbrake shouldn't have been applied automatically by the power running out. At the worst, if a handbrake fails and can't be used, you can always shove a couple of bricks under the wheels to stop the vehicle rolling.