o sung wu, mate, I'm surprised at you. Why would you wish one of our more harebrained techno monstrosities on the poor people of India?

Your post tells us they are perfectly capable of killing off each other, with no input from us. If we want to play silly games with electronic contrivances, at least we should be the ones to pay the cost.

Just how many do you think would survive the 6 week traffic jam, that would probably ensue if these things were trilled there?

Yeah, shame on me HASBEEN! Seriously, any 'remotely controlled' or fully autonomous vehicle should be tested in an area similar to that of say Manila, or any major city in India, even a crowded Chinese city perhaps? Anywhere where the average driver doesn't care a 'tinker cuss' for road rules or normal courtesy's that are generally shown on busy roads. Places like Tokyo are too well regulated and drivers too acquiescent for the road laws, to mount a fair trail, in my view?

Of course the testing would need to be so very, very, exhaustive, before allowing 'real time' trialing anywhere where human life may be endangered, however minuscule that danger may be.

HASBEEN, as I said to STEELEREDUX, I (personally) couldn't envisage a day where I'd feel sufficiently comfortable with sharing the highways and byways with any level 4 autonomous vehicle - who knows, sometime in the near future, science will no doubt further develop a system, so safe and so foolproof even an old goat like me, would probably accept it?

In conclusion, given our ages are similar, as are our earlier backgrounds, it is more likely that someone like me will acquiesce to this brilliant technology, before you? Why you ask, because of your long association with 'speed' (beginning with Navy fighters), and auto racing in all it's different classes, you would be more entrenched and established in your own abilities behind the wheel than I, as an ordinary old man driver? I dunno mate, what do you think?

o sung wu one thing I must correct is your impression I like speed. I am interested in controlling both horses & mechanical contrivances, & completely disinterested in how fast they will go in a straight line.

I love sailing, but prefer a yacht at 9 knots, over a catamaran at 20 knots.

Landing an aircraft at 130 knots is fun, but flying for hours at 30,000 ft., at 450/500 knots is the definition of boring.

I prefer a horse at a very controlled speed show jumping to galloping around the cross country course.

I love driving a quick car around a bend as fast as it will go, sometimes at less than 60 KM/H, where I am in complete control, but I was very unhappy, approaching scared, driving a light 1000 pound Formula 1 down Conrod straight at 180 MPH, bouncing from bump to bump, & very much not in full control.

Nothing will get me to ride a Ferris wheel. I am not interested in being injured because some labourer forgot to tighten a critical nut. In the same way I have no desire to depend on some computer programming geek getting it right with a driverless car.

I am sure they will get it right & successful in the future, but like the failures with computer controlled aircraft, quite a few will die while they are getting there.

Does it really matter whether it is a driverless car or a fool hoon who crashes into you, head on at 100 Km/H? I guess not, but I am stuck with the hoons, due to our gutless judiciary, I see no reason to introduce yet another danger we don't actually need.