Aggressive Human Drivers Will Be Able to Bully Autonomous Cars

Mercedes-Benz CEO Dietmar Exler thinks that the biggest problem autonomous vehicles will have to face is human drivers being dicks to them. We anticipate other unforeseen problems, but Exler’s prediction of automotive bullying seems like a safe bet.

There’s a number of ways to kick sand in a self-driving car’s face.

As Mercedes-Benz continues developing autonomous technology for its own fleet, Exler expressed to the Los Angeles Times that the company had some initial concerns about customer acceptance. Market research cleared that up fairly quickly. Exler is now convinced that anyone who experiences a vehicle that can drive itself in bumper-to-bumper traffic will suddenly become a convert. He also isn’t worried about insurance or liability issues, as he feels the technology is progressing rapidly.

What he is concerned about are of all the humans that might take advantage of a self-driving car.

Since autonomous cars are likely to be programmed to be courteous and regulated to be cautious, they should be extremely defensive drivers. This is something that is infrequently the case with flesh and blood operators, and Exler thinks that the more aggressive drivers will probably bully self-driving vehicles.

From the Times:

When someone tries to cut in line at a traffic merge, humans won’t let them in. But a driverless car will be programmed to stop when it sees an obstruction — like a line cutter. “They’ll look for the autonomous car and that’s where they’ll cut in,” (Exler) said.

That sort of thinking makes you wonder how many times an autonomous vehicle might be cheated out of its turn at a four-way stop, or how it might handle finding a parking spot in New York City traffic. While computer-controlled cars could certainly be programmed to be more aggressive, Exler doubts regulators would allow that. They will likely be intentionally passive by design and mandated to follow speed limits and traffic laws.

Exler says that even if driverless cars were mainstreamed today, they’d still be sharing the road with regular vehicles for decades. So, until they take away the right to drive, humans and computers will have to coexist on the road. That means people with autonomous vehicles will have to relax and take the occasional beating in traffic or disengage their autopilot and mix it up with the rest of us.