News Article: Hurricanes look to return to playoffs in 2017

[nobuddy]

Thank you for redeeming some of my faith in the Technician which was shattered earlier today by staff columnist Jim Twiddy.

istg this kid used to be my neighbor

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

It would also eliminate DUIs, Highway Patrol, backup cameras, rearview and side mirrors, pedals, and driver education programs.

And probably car ownership all together for a lot of people. Why own a car when you can press an "UBER" button on your phone and have one show up at your driveway to take you anywhere.

Yeah, like Vagrant said, there are a LOT of roadblocks in the way preventing this from happening, but unlike alternative energy, once the consumer sees a tangible benefit, it will get there. Not anytime soon though.

 

[NotOpie]

I'm not sure when it will come, but driver-less cars would pretty much eliminate traffic jams as well as most (if not all) accidents.

I don't think it will quite be like alternative energy though Vagrant. As Hanks stated, there weren't, and still aren't enough compelling financial benefits for a broad base of consumers to demand it. It took up to 50% rebates/incentives from the state and federal governments just to get people and companies to try and adopt it, and it still didn't make sense for most everyone. I looked seriously into geothermal and solar for my home because of the incentives and it still was a 13 year+ ROI at best.

I think driver-less cars are more akin to things like airbags (or other safety mechanisms) on cars or the Gov't forcing companies to reach a better C.A.F.E. The auto industry, and many other factions fought that for ages, but when consumers saw the benefit (saving lives in one case, saving money due to higher gas prices in the other), the technology advanced and quickly became mainstream.

If alternative energy made financial sense for consumers, you would see that being adopted on a much grander scale.

Airbags were less driven by consumer education and demand and more by the insurance industry trying to reduce their overall liability costs. The auto industry still fights CAFE standards tooth and nail.

But with all of that said, I think the issue w/driverless cars ultimately gets hung up for a bit with legal issues of fault in case of accidents. That's gonna be something to watch .

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Airbags were less driven by consumer education and demand and more by the insurance industry trying to reduce their overall liability costs.

It was both, trust me, I used to work for Ford Motor Company. The insurance companies may have used a media campaign to get the public behind it, but by the time it finally came about, there was a large public demand for airbags. There were actually public protests at some Ford facilities back then.

It's really no different than how the insurance institute for highway safety today does testing and the public then demands for certain safety features, either by outright asking for them, or by purchasing power.

The auto industry still fights CAFE standards tooth and nail.

Yep, they do, but they make more fuel efficient cars because of consumer demand for them. When CAFE was first proposed, the lion share of the public didn't care that much. But with the price of gas continuing to rise, the public then demanded it. Look at all the innovation driven by the demand for more fuel efficiency. CAFE may have force the automakers hands, but the public demand for better fuel efficiency due to gas prices is what drove the innovation. Again, either by outright asking for it or by purchasing power, the consumers drove it.

My point being, things like that usually don't happen unless the consumer sees a clear benefit and demands it (either outright or through purchasing power). That hasn't been the case yet with alternative energy.

But with all of that said, I think the issue w/driverless cars ultimately gets hung up for a bit with legal issues of fault in case of accidents. That's gonna be something to watch .

Yeah, that's another hang up, but not insurmountable. Still, a lot of roadblocks (no pun intended) so I don't see it any time soon. I think Nirvana would be solar roadways with EV self-driven cars.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

What was this thread about again?

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Airbags were less driven by consumer education and demand and more by the insurance industry trying to reduce their overall liability costs. The auto industry still fights CAFE standards tooth and nail.

But with all of that said, I think the issue w/driverless cars ultimately gets hung up for a bit with legal issues of fault in case of accidents. That's gonna be something to watch .

My guess is that manufacturers will be willing to accept liability as part of the package, because the incidents of driverless cars being at fault will be low enough to incorporate the risk.

 

[Unsustainable]

What was this thread about again?

Same thing every thread about here is about.

 

[VAcaniac]

How about this? Put down your phone, put down your coffee, put down your breakfast burrito and drive your damn car. Pay attention to what's going on around you, slow down when you sense danger, respect other humans, whether you agree with their decision on where to bike, run or walk or not. Distracted driving is the issue. If you're paying attention to where you're going, you don't hit things. What this kid is arguing for is the right to text and drive and not have to worry about hitting anything when he gets a little loose in the turns.

This may be possible in a suburban/rural area, but it's not that easy in a big city. It's a huge issue in downtown DC for example (where it's actually illegal). Happened to me once waiting on pedestrians to clear the intersection, and then I start turning and some bicyclist comes out of no where almost causing an accident. Not to mention all the pedestrians in downtown DC on the sidewalk makes it very dangerous.

Most bicyclists piss me off because the give the good ones in the group (like me) a bad name.

But you know it's summer when this thread has nothing to do with the Canes...

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Most bicyclists piss me off because the give the good ones in the group (like me) a bad name.

But you know it's summer when this thread has nothing to do with the Canes...

Not to pick on you, but I bet every bicyclist thinks they are a "good one" and it's others giving them a bad name.

I heard a survey on the radio the other day where 95% of people polled think they are good drivers. I'm honestly surprised it's not 100%.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

I'm a big fan of this idea, but only when it makes sense. To get to work in Charlotte my first couple of years there, I could either drive for 10-15 minutes or take the light rail, which took about 20 minutes door to door. Even though the train option took slightly longer, I often did that so I could stretch my legs then do something else with that time.

In Raleigh, I can drive to work in 10 minutes, take a bus for an hour an a half, or walk for an hour. Biking down Falls of the Neuse is a good way to get my life cut short. There's really only one option that makes sense.

I drive to the university, but I take a bus to work. Driving to the airport takes 15 minutes from my house, plus about a 10 minute walk from staff parking. But the bus is a 8-9 min walk, then a 15 minute ride, plus a few mins waiting. So basically, the same thing time wise, plus I get a bit of free exercise, some fresh air, and don't have to pay for parking.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

Same thing every thread about here is about.

Food?

 

[Chrispy]

Same thing every thread about here is about.

Trying to take over the world?

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

Trying to take over the world?

solid reference

good form

 

[NotOpie]

It was both, trust me, I used to work for Ford Motor Company. The insurance companies may have used a media campaign to get the public behind it, but by the time it finally came about, there was a large public demand for airbags. There were actually public protests at some Ford facilities back then.

It's really no different than how the insurance institute for highway safety today does testing and the public then demands for certain safety features, either by outright asking for them, or by purchasing power.

Yep, they do, but they make more fuel efficient cars because of consumer demand for them. When CAFE was first proposed, the lion share of the public didn't care that much. But with the price of gas continuing to rise, the public then demanded it. Look at all the innovation driven by the demand for more fuel efficiency. CAFE may have force the automakers hands, but the public demand for better fuel efficiency due to gas prices is what drove the innovation. Again, either by outright asking for it or by purchasing power, the consumers drove it.

My point being, things like that usually don't happen unless the consumer sees a clear benefit and demands it (either outright or through purchasing power). That hasn't been the case yet with alternative energy.

Yeah, that's another hang up, but not insurmountable. Still, a lot of roadblocks (no pun intended) so I don't see it any time soon. I think Nirvana would be solar roadways with EV self-driven cars.

Yeah, my point about airbags stemmed from stuff I read about the insurance industry really being the catalyst. Once they raised the specter the public got on board.

CAFE standards, again, came about more due to pure economic circumstances rather than the environmental issues they were purported to stem from. Like you said, public didn't give a rat's ass until the price of gas went through the roof. I recall a few years ago there were suggestions that most full-size SUVs were going to go out of production. But with $2.00 gas back, that changed.

I'm sort of meh about driverless cars. I like the idea of not having to worry or be responsible, but it's not an issue I pay a whole lot of attention to. I suspect my kids will find it enthralling as it becomes part of their reality.

 

[Unsustainable]

solid reference

good form

Very solid.

 

[Joe McGrath]

Pretty sure Brain is the inspiration for Stewie from family guy. Just switch the Orson Welles voice out for full British and a baby for a rat.

 

[Carolinas Identity*]

Orson Welles best role was as the voice of Unicron in the 1986 Transformers movie.

I will fite anyone irl in a bojangles parking lot who disagrees