Tuesday, March 20, 2018

A self-driving Uber killed a pedestrian. Human drivers will kill 16 today. - Vox

Also see Uber's Self-Driving Car Just Killed Somebody in Arizona. Now What? (Wired)

"In the meantime, this tragedy will no doubt stoke fears about putting our lives in the hands of car computers. So let’s not forget that getting into, or walking or biking near, a car piloted by a human is one of the most dangerous activities we can do every day.

According to a report released by the Governors Highway Safety Association, there were 5,997 pedestrian fatalities in the US in 2016 — or 16 each day. Globally, road traffic is the fifth leading cause of death in the world.

What’s more, driving a car and being a pedestrian are particularly dangerous undertakings in America, relative to other high-income countries. The US ranks 41st out of 52 high-income countries on road traffic deaths per population, with only a handful of countries — including Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia — trailing behind."
A self-driving Uber killed a pedestrian. Human drivers will kill 16 today. - Vox

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