"AVs are not better than the status quo"
We don't have the data to claim this, this confidently, and the only way to get the data is let the experiment keep running in the real world (only place that matters).
There will obviously with holes in the awareness (literal missing cameras under the car) that's what the testing is for. If someone says they can sit in a room, in a simulation environment and come up with all potential crazy things humans can do around autonomous cars, they are lying to you.
To me, its either this, or we pull all human drivers off the road, restructure our cities and put em on public transit (wholly support this).
I re-iterate: The status quo is unacceptable and indefensible. The human driver who actually caused the accident has still not been held to account (and probably never will be).
P.S: I accept your point about the system being non-realtime. Though I think there are some critical safety systems (LIDAR/RADAR cutoffs etc.) that might have a real-time response?
