> Traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death in the developed world.
Not even close, really. A bit under 1%. You are more likely to die from an overdose, or suicide. And much, much, much more likely to die from cancer or heart disease.
And that is without getting into the trade-offs. Cars at least have a significant utility value, which is not true of suicide, opiate addiction, cancer, or heart disease. We should try to reduce traffic deaths, but we should not lose perspective.
I was not precise enough in the wording. Leading cause of accidental death. Obviously it is not beating out old age or heart disease. Doesn't change the fact that a self driving system with the record of a typical human would be considered unacceptable.
I agree on that point. For self driving to be accepted, it has to be at least as good as a good driver. Drunks, oldsters, youngsters, and the like all push the average down. Many normal people are actually pretty good drivers statistically, and those are (perhaps not coincidentally) the ones most likely to be in a position to afford a fancy new self-driving car.
Not even close, really. A bit under 1%. You are more likely to die from an overdose, or suicide. And much, much, much more likely to die from cancer or heart disease.
And that is without getting into the trade-offs. Cars at least have a significant utility value, which is not true of suicide, opiate addiction, cancer, or heart disease. We should try to reduce traffic deaths, but we should not lose perspective.