For someone who clings to the old ways, you have a very vivid imagination when putting words into my mouth. You've gone off on a dead end tangent.

Driving is an inherently dangerous activity no matter who is driving.

No, it is not. Statistically (and luckily, to me) it is very safe. And we will soon achieve the ability to make exponentially safer. To me you are only presenting some sense of entitlement. I mean, I understand the nature of such things, but I still think the arguments made for them are kinda bizarre...

You underestimate the sensor inputs a computer can employ to asses the situation. As far as reaction times for obstacle avoidance and maximum braking, the computer is already way ahead. Knowing what is 'road' and what isn't still needs some work. I'm not saying we're there yet, but it's getting nice and close. It will be the best thing since splinter free toilet paper.

Looks like it smashed into one helluva bug!

:-) He won't be able to do it without assistance.

Your unnecessary harshness not withstanding, have a good day... I know I am...

Power is given, not taken.

The rest of your post is quite revealing and kinda funny.

See Dances with Wolves sometime.

That's it. I'll live on a movie set. The interns will bring anything I need...

With or without the "disruptive method", those "foreign aid" is a waste of money anyway...

Maybe you never have personally experienced the benefits and profitability of public relations.

People prefer what they are accustomed to? I had no idea....

the cause of the crash is listed as 'pilot error'.

Because it was... Plain and simple. The pilot panicked and the airplane properly responded to his command inputs. I believe airliners are still naturally aerodynamically stable. Meaning, just letting go of the controls (with the autopilot disconnected of course), and the airplane will fly at the mechanically trimmed airspeed whether the indicator works or not. Anyway, pilot error it was. He had properly working controls and horizon indicator and two perfectly functional engines. He was supposed to be trained to fly the plane with limited instrumentation. It appears this type of training should be a more frequent part of the job. And this particular type of error is amongst the most common is airplane (with or without computers) wrecks in recent decades even.

The only thing that makes our devices unreliable is economics. Too much corner cutting. But I am confident that driverless cars can cut fatalities and injuries by 90% or more. Just make sure the oversight is there.

And you still voted for them. Proving the man's point. How quaint...

So, give us once again your lesser evil schtick. Maybe if you rephrase it a bit, it might even sound almost original. See if you can match Mr. Smith's subtlety... I really would like to know how voting for a republican/democrat isn't stupid, and if not stupid, then evil. It definitely is one of the two. Maybe you can make an argument for the lesser stupid since it is easier to quantify than evil.

Huh?! Man, I'm in bizarro world. I cannot believe some of the responses I see here. And over such simple concepts...

They're working on it, okay? You know, I don't believe most people realize how automated things are becoming already, and the massive benefits to be gained from it with no real loss. You're not losing or giving up control. You're just delegating the tedium of the process. I cannot understand the resistance, except maybe for the people doing it.

Well, I was talking about ticket sales. I can't tell if you are including all the ancillary stuff like broadcast/video royalties, etc.

I'm sure the air forces and airline companies will be pleased to know that they can fire their pilots and turn the whole operation over to machines.

Heh, you don't see it happening already? Soon the old joke will come true. The fully automated airliner will have a pilot and a dog in the cockpit.

Sorry, the numbers speak for themselves and need no help from me. Pilot error (sometimes intention) is by far the biggest problem. Mechanical issues are becoming statistically insignificant. It will be the same for all vehicles if we do it properly without cutting corners. But, of course, if we let Microsoft, or even Google do this, then all bets are off. This stuff has to be on the same quality level as any certified aircraft, regardless the costs, or it's all bullshit. That has to be made clear right off the bat.