I'd startup a conversation with these folks www.botball.org. My son and several of his friends have participated and it was a great experience for them. While the kits are a pricey, the setup they use for competition isn't. Once you have the kits it shouldn't take that much effort to let the vets do their own thing or even organize botball-esque events within the VA.
CPL
U.S Army
1985-1990
Medical Hold
1989-1990
"This is, without a doubt, a really stupid thing to actually try. So don't."
Hmm, wow. Nope the really stupid idea is posting a story on the InterWeb about a really stupid idea and warning us that it's "a really stupid idea". Road & Track should be ashamed that many Slashdoters are now searching E-Bay, CarMax and the trades for an S-Class to try this out in or texting their friends (hopefully not while driving to see them) with S-Class' to try this out. Responsible media, right! Telling geeks about a hack, is like giving crack to a junkie. Tomorrow's lead, dozens die recreating S-Class hack.
Oh, yeah, please PM me your findings.
The legal issue comes after the moral one. The questions posed is a classic choice of "sacrificing one to save more than one" an ethical dilemma, not a legal one. Laws may be written to codify the ethical decision that has been made but, the ethics must be resolved before laws can be created to uphold those morals.
Thanks for giving me the opening for this thought (Charliemopps)... While reading the article, I was again amazed by the lengths that some individuals will go to in order to avoid answering the moral question before them. In the case presented someone is going to die; either the driver or the two bystanders. It doesn't matter why the situation exists, it exists, we've gone past why. You must choose who will die as the dilemma dictates someone must die.
Stopping the car isn't an option that is available or putting it another way, stopping the car results in either the death of the driver or the two bystanders.
Driverless is not very accurate description of what is going on. Semi-autonomous seems a bit better but lacks marketing flash.
I'd suspect that no matter what the 'driver' is going to be given the ticket, maybe the 'car' gets a copy too. Some investigation will have to be done (and laws updated) to determine fault (what is you live in a no fault state). Was the car in autonomous mode? Was the firmware/software current? Did the driver ignore a warning?
The expectations of the driver will also have to be defined. Can the driver fall asleep? How much attention must the driver pay to the vehicle's operation?
Lot's of questions, not problems
The ideal voice for radio may be defined as showing no substance, no sex, no owner, and a message of importance for every housewife. -- Harry V. Wade