Maybe it is my european upbringing, but this is not my problem, but the problem of said company. I don't see why they should be allowed to test on public streets.
Just the insurance savings alone could give up to $800 billion back to rate payers in the US.
Let me guess, cars are king that's why we should sacrifice our kids to their cold hard steel bodies. /s
No seriously. This saving money doesn't mean they should be allowed to cut corners. If you truly want self driving you should be behind not using public roads as experimental tracks (with all the fallout that could come from that).
Public transport and car sharing are two sides of the same coin. They approach the same solution from two different avenues. Public transport does not address the "last mile" problem of getting to the bus stop. Solving this issue would require more stops and smaller busses with complex adaptable routes. This is cost prohibitive if you have to have drivers. Car sharing is expensive and inconvenient because cars often end up parked in places were they are not needed and parking itself is expensive. Self driving cars (which will naturally evolve to mini busses) solve all these problems. No parking, no making grandma, and expectant mothers walk a mile to the bus stop. Everyone gets a cheap chauffeur service. And massively reduced road fatalities.
In the meantime, in the here and now, these things are obviously hazardous and shouldn't be on the public roads. Even if they would lead to a better future, no company has the right to endanger unconsenting others now to accomplish it.
No one even bats an eye when this happens on cruise control, and no the name autopilot doesn't make people think it's okay to be inattentive while driving. I have a Tesla and the number of nags warnings beeps admonishments you get is more than enough to let you know to pay attention.
Is that what happened here? No
When? What's the social cost to affording these companies public spaces to test their products?
If think that's making you unsafe too bad for you. I think it's vastly more unsafe to share the road with a million half blind geriatrics but nobody suing the AARP.
You seem to be either incredibly confused, or just making a bad-faith analogy.
