Self-Driving Cars vs. the Airlines

i think most congestion is caused by human failure than the quantity of cars on the road.

we made the cape trip for almost 20 years, and inevitably, it was accidents that slowed things down

 

well I suppose a better more recent example would be 737 MAX problems. But there's a difference between fundmental show stopper and just a bad piece of software that can be fixed. Admittedly I wish management were better about thorough testing but we are where we are

 

Actually, I just threw in the A380 incident just to illustrate Murphy's Law, but as they say, subtlety gets you nowhere.

No, I think the aircraft industry will eventually iron out it's problems - even Boeing will eventually overcome the 737 MAX. However, I believe the traffic issue presents an insurmountable problem for driverless cars designers.

Imagine what would happen if aircraft autopilots had to contend with high density traffic. It could only work if ALL aircraft had the same technology and were forced to used it. The only reason why aircraft autopilots work today is because they operate in a low density air traffic environment that is effectively managed by ATC.

Now imagine your typical joy-rider or biker being told that he or she cannot go on the freeway without an autopilot... ...Won't work.

 

Well aircraft all have TCAS (Collison Avoidance System) so the planes are "talking" to each other and there are rules for altitude separation since they have 3 dimesnions to work with.

 

General aviation too? Besides, I don't believe collision avoidance has ever been tested for more than two aircraft in close proximity, let alone under the high density traffic conditions that you find on the streets and highways. I would expect any collision avoidance system could easily get confused or overloaded under those conditions.

Also, as far as rules go. Who ensures that the rules of separation are maintained in the skies?.. ...The ATC. But there are no ATC's for drivers, so how do to maintain separation during rush hour?... ...You don't. If the other driver screws up, you crash - regardless of all the high tech AI you have in your car.

 

Where does $10 airport parking still exist? I mean, for more than a couple hours?

 

Ok, it has been a while since I last took a business trip. I remember the expense account had the $10/day parking fee. Being retired, I'm not expecting Social Security or the pensions to send me on business trips.

Bob Wilson

 

the fact that parking is higher just enforces the driving argument.

best we can do is a $200. r/t cab or car service for 10 miles to the airport

 

Not as much as you would think. Are you ready to take a boat to Japan, China, Korea, Australia, South Africa, Europe?

 

Plenty of places. $5.50/day in Omaha, for example.

 

nope, i'm content here

 

Those are all good things. Plus, cheap parking.

 

Long term, offsite, with reservations...lots of places are $10-$12 even near SFO

Mike