# What will autonomous or driverless cars mean for hitching?



## Brother X (Jan 11, 2017)

I was listening to a market report this morning and they were discussing driverless and autonomous cars. The industry experts all said driverless/autonomous cars will be in the market by 2020 or 2030 latest. That's not distant future anymore! I began to imagine how this will affect a rider's (no longer a driver per se) ability to pull over in a semi-legal way and pick up a hitcher. Will the car override the request? 

*Driver:* "Google car, pull over on this on-ramp" 
*Google car:* "I'm sorry, Dave. I can't do that."

Anyway, just a scary thought I had this morning.


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## Tude (Jan 11, 2017)

Yeah they are really talking up a storm about automated --- everything - eff that human worker I guess. As for vehicles - they are talking buses as well. If and when it would happen would be a slow incorporation I would think - hitching would be affected. Would I get into a taxi like that? no. I'm sure it will be here in mass someday though. I would be a worrisome person though driving on a highway knowing there were driverless 18 wheelers on that main trucking highway in my little old car. scary stuff. Sucks for the hitchhiker and people in need on the highway.


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## wizehop (Jan 11, 2017)

Ya lots of interesting issues come up...like in an accident situation where either you could die, or say pedestrians could die, how does the compute decide who is more important.

But on the subject of technology taking over, this is worth a watch if you haven't seen it yet:


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## Sm4L27NMD (Jan 11, 2017)

right now the technology is very expensive. long term automated driving is something that they have been talking about for a loooong time now. walmart bought a few semis that are fully autonomous. but are not legal in the united states yet. it will be some time before that happens. under the guise of less accidents on the road...which im not saying is such a terrible thing but that is not the real reason. its all about control and when are released it will be and upgrade you can get for any vehicle...might not be as slow a role out as you may think. every new car now has the ability to be taken control of remotely...some security group found that out a few years back and i think it was chevy, had to recall and entire car line...food for thought...


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## etpyh (Jan 11, 2017)

Sm4L27NMD said:


> every new car now has the ability to be taken control of remotely...


Do you have a source for that? I highly doubt it.


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## Kim Chee (Jan 11, 2017)

Ripoff self checkouts if you must absolutely steal (the store has given a job of 8 people to a single person and some computers). If you don't ripoff the store, at least do stuff slowly, act very suspicious and ask for help, generally making it more difficult than it really is while using self checkout.

On topic:

Just because a car is automated doesn't mean that there isn't a driver on board who can take over whenever they want and drive however they want. There isn't going to be a software code that will keep the car from pulling over for hitchhikers but they may have a plugin before long

As for driverless cars you are screwed unless you want to jump in front, force a stop and get on top


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## Sm4L27NMD (Jan 11, 2017)

@etpyh http://www.businessinsider.com/rese...ity-to-remotely-hack-and-control-a-car-2015-7 here is just one article...if your car is attached to the internet...which almost all new cars are...then there is a door in to your cars computer. you dont have to believe me. but if you think that our military doesnt have the ability to remote hack a car...you are lying to yourself...they can remote hack planes...how less difficult would a car be? dont be naive...


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## Brother X (Jan 11, 2017)

Kim Chee said:


> Just because a car is automated doesn't mean that there isn't a driver on board who can take over whenever they want and drive however they want. There isn't going to be a software code that will keep the car from pulling over for hitchhikers but they may have a plugin before long



Yeah, I know there's "automated" and "self-driving", two different things. But it's hard enough to get people to pull over most of the time. Imagine in the case of an automated (driver letting car pilot) scenario, now the driver has to disengage automated and manually pull over. And like you said, how long before a "plug-in" or protocol is implemented if it's not from the start? We're down this slippery slope now, so it will be quicker than a lot of people think. I work in tech and even though I have retired from working for corporations, I still have friends who work at Google and Uber and the shit they tell me they are testing right now makes me think this is coming much faster than we believe. In the piece I heard on the radio this morning, the industry reps were being conservative and saying 2020-2030. That's not that far away. Anyways, not trying to yell fire in a crowded theater. but it did make me think about the ramifications for hitching a ride the old fashioned way. Maybe the pirate brothers and sisters out there will figure out a way to "hop" rides on delivery trucks that are driverless. https://techcrunch.com/2016/04/25/t...g-and-its-going-to-automate-millions-of-jobs/

Harpoon guns and hoverboards? LOL


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## kokomojoe (Jan 11, 2017)

Probably would just end up finding other spots they stop to hitch from. Who knows maybe after awhile it'll become cheap enough to just dial up a car and go wherever. Adapt and change


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## MoonMail (Jan 12, 2017)

I see autonomous cars being more of a middle/upperclass and corporate thing.
It's gonna replace a lot of jobs like operating heavy equipment, and driving semi's, but
they just break down too quickly for the average person to afford em.
I think it's a fad that'll turn into a niche.

The cars being hacked thing is something that scares me though.
And it's already happening, I saw a video of police turning off the engine of an 06 suv because of onstar? or something? It's been a while since I saw it.


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## spectacular (Jan 13, 2017)




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## Kim Chee (Jan 13, 2017)

It is the end of the world as we know it.

At least an automated car doesn't not pull over because it doesn't like the way you look, thinks you stink or will spange it.

Riders and the media have fucked up hitchhiking far more than technology ever will.


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## etpyh (Jan 14, 2017)

Sm4L27NMD said:


> *every *new car now has the ability to be taken control of remotely...





Sm4L27NMD said:


> @etpyh http://www.businessinsider.com/rese...ity-to-remotely-hack-and-control-a-car-2015-7 here is just one article...if your car is attached to the internet...which *almost* all new cars are...


Well done you proved yourself wrong.


> you dont have to believe me. but if you think that our military doesnt have the ability to remote hack a car...you are lying to yourself...


I don't doubt that there are cars that can be remotely hacked, I doubt that every new car can be remotely hacked.


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## Sm4L27NMD (Jan 14, 2017)

there are so many words i could use to speak to you right now, but im not going to use many. congrats on being a govt supporter perhaps we should ban this person before he continues spying on everyone here for whatever form of law enforcement he works for. i will not be replying to this thread anymore. be ignorant if you want. i have no time for ignorance... @etpyh


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## etpyh (Jan 14, 2017)

Sm4L27NMD said:


> there are so many words i could use to speak to you right now, but im not going to use many. congrats on being a govt supporter perhaps we should ban this person before he continues spying on everyone here for whatever form of law enforcement he works for. i will not be replying to this thread anymore. be ignorant if you want. i have no time for ignorance... @etpyh


Assuming that this was meant as a serious response I have got to say that it was probably the most stupid, ridiculous and ignorant thing I had to read in weeks if not even months and that means a lot.


Edit: To stay on topic: Approaching people directly at gas stations etc. works the best from my experiences and will be possible with automated cars as well, if there is a driver in it as pointed out before. Furthermore car sharing systems might profit from it. Overall I guess it would have a negative affect on hitchhiking, but there will still be ways.


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## EchoTheDrifter (Jan 24, 2017)

I don't mind there being autonomous vehicles on the market. I'd draw the line at forcing everyone to "drive" one. Unless I've missed it, so far I'm not hearing anyone seriously suggesting that. But as someone who LOVES driving on the open road, I would resist any attempted mandate to force people to use autonomous vehicles. I'm sure I'm not the only one. So long as there are some of us humans behind wheels, hitching will be possible.


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