{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/627e954c-aa68-4f1a-85d5-5682fdc5d0d5/e15fa555-7051-4a3c-ab78-cf9087beb7b4?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"#51 Why Self-Driving Cars Are a Sneaky Plot: Eddie Alterman","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6100770b31fd81f125b34d81/610077409a9767001477dc3a.jpg?height=200","description":"<p>With technology in overdrive, self-driving cars are no longer a fantasy.&nbsp;The first autonomous cars and trucks made by major auto manufacturers could be on the road within several years.&nbsp;But \"Fix It\" guest Eddie Alterman, Editor-in-Chief of Car and Driver magazine says not so fast.&nbsp;\"It's a scary concept anyway you look at it,\" he tells us.&nbsp;&nbsp;\"The autonomous car is a very inelegant, very complex and a very fraught solution to the problem of texting while driving... and of information coming into the car when people should be driving.\"</p><p>&nbsp;For Google, Apple, Microsoft and other big data companies, autonomous cars are a big opportunity. Instead of keeping their eyes on the road, motorists could use their driving time to consume more digital media.&nbsp;&nbsp;But Eddie Alterman says a mix of self-driving and traditional vehicles on the road would create danger. \"People will deal with or accept flawed humans crashing into each other. I don't think people will accept supposedly fail-safe machines crashing into each other\"&nbsp;Solutions:</p><ul><li>Encourage the use of background technology to make driving safer with improved cruise control, vehicle stability, lane departure warning systems and other innovations.</li><li>Pursue a cautious path with the use of autonomous vehicles in \"closed\" environments such as industrial sites.</li><li>Encourage car-sharing and other initiatives to reduce commute times.&nbsp;</li><li>Resist the temptation to encourage drivers to surrender control of their time behind-the-wheel.</li></ul>","author_name":"DaviesContent"}