America's Vice President Gets Stuck Behind a Stalled Driverless Robotaxi (abc7news.com) 59
As the Vice President of the United States travelled in a motorcade Saturday to a San Francisco hotel, they ended up stopped behind "a Waymo vehicle that had to be driven away from the motorcade route by police," according to a local newscast (which called it an "only in San Francisco moment").
And that's not all. One local reporter following the vice president's motorcade said "we saw not one but two driverless cars get stuck."
The San Francisco Standard adds that on Friday, California's governor "signed a bill that allows law enforcement to cite driverless car companies for traffic violations."
And that's not all. One local reporter following the vice president's motorcade said "we saw not one but two driverless cars get stuck."
The San Francisco Standard adds that on Friday, California's governor "signed a bill that allows law enforcement to cite driverless car companies for traffic violations."
Well, the taxi grew up in a middle class home (Score:5, Funny)
where cars were proud of doing donuts on their lawns.
Raised by a working single tow truck, it came to understand how difficult it can be to pick up a fair while moving....
Re: Well, the taxi grew up in a middle class home (Score:1, Flamebait)
Excellent (Score:1, Funny)
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fair != fare
Unless its a "Renaissance Faire"
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THANK YOU
That was breaking me...
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Raised by a working single tow truck, it came to understand how difficult it can be to pick up a fair while moving....
It's fare, not fair.
Kamala. Harris. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: Kamala. Harris. (Score:2)
Re: Kamala. Harris. (Score:4, Funny)
You're citing "Da Real Adogg" as your source? Oh man, that's classic.
Thanks for the laugh.
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That's when Trump was still a democrat and all important democrats leaders went to Epstein Island. What else did you expect?
At least Trump was not an important democrat leader back then so he didn't visit the Island and your link only suggest Trump had dinner at Epstein Florida home back around ~1992.
Anyway, I see you are pretty much out of ammo to come up with something as irrelevant.
Better luck next time.
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Just for reference, what color was Trump's grandmother and what relevance is that to his political office?
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Just for reference, what color was Trump's grandmother and what relevance is that to his political office?
Orange ?
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Trump's grandmother was white of skin colour. No idea about hair or eyes.
She lived in Nazi Germany and migrated to USA just before Hitler came to power. And yes, all his one and two and third level ancestors: were Nazis.
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Perhaps because the article isn't about her. Or maybe they're trying to avoid hurting the feelings of those who believe Mike Pence is still VP. It's policy at some news outlets never to refer to his administration in the past-tense.
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Motorcade ... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Motorcade ... (Score:5, Insightful)
No, but cell phone and other frequencies jamming done around motorcade might I would assume...
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This is an unusual driving circumstance to say the least. And unfortunately the waymo choked.
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+1
This is an unusual driving circumstance to say the least. And unfortunately the waymo choked.
I think Waymo failed closed - stopped operations before it could potentially harm anyone.
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I think Waymo failed closed - stopped operations before it could potentially harm anyone.
Except now someone with a desire to harm a president or vice-president has a new tool they might be able to take advantage of. If you can immobilize the person, you've got a much better chance of getting access to them.
Well guess driverless cars are done (Score:3)
Which effectively makes every driverless car a continuous unlimited liability for its manufacturer.
no the rider / (renter) will get the bill + an adm (Score:3)
no the rider / (renter) will get the bill + an admin fee just like what happens with rented cars.
Re: no the rider / (renter) will get the bill + an (Score:3)
That would be a great way to tank repeat business.
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Let's say it only happens to 5% of riders, they can probably do without them. Some of those 5% might even come back anyway, if they don't have any other options. With cheap cars disappearing and public transport non-existent, it's not too far off where I live.
People love trying to apply technical fixes to governance problems. Much less friction than fixing the governance. Plus the techbros from Waymo will take you out to lunch.
Re: no the rider / (renter) will get the bill + a (Score:3)
That's true, but those 5% will mention it to other people. Not the kind of word of mouth a company wants.
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bulloney
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Just a cost of doing business.
what would of happened if the beast needed to ram (Score:2)
what would of happened if the beast needed to ram it off the road?
Too much Hollywood, I suppose (Score:3)
If I were on the motorcade's secret service detail and a barricade like that happened, I'd be thinking someone was trying to slow things down to take a shot.
And I wouldn't be particularly nice about getting that car out of the way.
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MOVE YOU CAR!
Unpaid Beta Testers (Score:5, Insightful)
American electeds (Score:2)
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It's a security issue. Shutting down streets helps the Secret Service spot would-be assassins and, hopefully, deters most of the angry disgruntled amateurs (i.e. anyone but a professional assassin).
As for "massive gas guzzler," in 10 years it will be a massive electric-energy-guzzler. Mass, when properly placed, is useful in stopping bullets.
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I like the idea of the top of the executive being stuck in real life like the rest of us, to keep them grounded.
Practically speaking, if you don't give them special transportation privileges you're A) opening them to easier assassination attempts and B) wasting everyone's time anyway. We always complain our politicians aren't doing enough - if they're held up in traffic that's time they aren't working for all of us.
I do think they ought to invest in teleconferencing, though. Most of what they're doing doe
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How does what the US president gets compare to what the leaders of, say, France or Canada or Australia or the UK or Germany or Italy or Spain or any number of other similar western countries and does the US actually need to go as hard as it does on this?
Although I guess when you have a country with more guns than people and its generally legal to walk down the street carrying a gun you do need to go harder than in places where gun ownership is heavily restricted and its flat out illegal to have a gun in pub
Not sure whether to laugh or cry (Score:2)
Would've been "uber"-funny if the President of Waymo got stuck behind a driverless Waymo taxi though. Talk about karma.
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Her name is Kamala, not Karma, you insensitive clod!
Traffic Citations (Score:3)
So California passed a law allowing driverless cars but didn't bother including in that law how traffic citations would be handled?
Now I'm doubly glad the governor is apparently vetoing everything.
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More like there was no law against driverless cars in the first place. But hey whatever story fits your bias.
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Illegal to operate a vehicle on a public road without a valid drivers licence?
Laws (Score:4, Informative)
It's almost like I know what I'm talking about because it's part of my job.
https://www.californiacarlaws.... [californiacarlaws.com]
"California was the third state to permit self-driving vehicles on state roads back in 2012, after Nevada and Florida."
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The story was probably written by ChatGPT. The actual link uses her name multiple times.
I'm curious (Score:3)
If a human driver had blocked the presidential motorcade, even by honest negligence, wouldn't the secret service have swarmed the car and hauled their ass in jail simply because the move looked threatening?
I'm pretty sure two driveless blocking the motorcade can easily be construed as the beginning of an attack on the VP too. So my question is: which Waymo exec got arrested?
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If I were the VP's security, I'd be highly suspicious of a stopped vehicle of any kind - especially unmanned - in the direct path of the motorcade I was protecting and wouldn't approach it at all and would instruct the driver to initiate emergency driving measures to turn and flee.
There's no telling at all who was in control of the vehicle and what was in it, at that point. And it would be the perfect way to stop the motorcade for... gosh... I don't know... someone else to take action against a VP they dis
And that little taxi... (Score:2)