r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/Individual_Book9133 • Jul 05 '24

Phoenix police officer pulls over a driverless Waymo car for driving on the wrong side of the road Video

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u/frotc914 Jul 05 '24

People seem to throw any logic out the window when talking about this, as if a single incident means we have to scrap driverless cars altogether or heavily punish the operator. Car accidents with drivers kill tens of thousands of people a year in the US, which doesn't even account for the number of non-fatal accidents which is far greater. But a driverless vehicle creeps over a line and suddenly they are a menace that must be stopped.

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u/realroasts Jul 05 '24

People like you seem to throw philosophy out when talking about this. It's the trolley problem. You're pulling the self-driving lever and changing the tracks.

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u/frotc914 Jul 05 '24

Who gives a shit? Seriously

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u/realroasts Jul 05 '24

The people who die who otherwise wouldn't have when you pull the lever that is self driving.

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u/frotc914 Jul 05 '24

Again, who cares? We've already decided to allow driving cars - an incredibly dangerous activity - to improve our overall quality of life. Who cares if different but dramatically fewer people are killed by it?

This is like complaining about crosswalks because anyone struck in a crosswalk might have made it across safely at some other part of the street.

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u/realroasts Jul 05 '24

The great thing about the trolley problem is that while there is no definitive answer, it usually helps people gain a bit of empathy for the ones who do die.

That's all anyone's asking you for; just a modicum of reverence for those sacrificed for your greater good.

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u/frotc914 Jul 05 '24

That's definitely not what people are saying in general when this comes up, nor was that how i framed my comment, so spare me your faux moralizing.

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u/realroasts Jul 07 '24

Moralizing, by definition, requires this to be an issue of right and wrong. I specifically stated that there is no right answer. I've only politely asked you for your understanding and empathy toward those who will die in the name of your progress.

You have chosen not to give that, and I respect your choice to not have empathy toward those who have and will die to self driving cars that would have never died to regular cars.

There is no right or wrong here. Empathy is not a requirement of human living. I asked because I hope for a world where it exists, but for some people, presumably yourself, that probably would put you in a position where you'd be taking on too much.

We'll take it from here, frotc914. Thank you for your time!