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submitted 1 month ago by some_guy to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[-] empireOfLove2@lemmy.dbzer0.com 153 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

These cars need to have a panic button that allows a remote operator to talk to the passengers, assess the situation, alert police and override the auto driving to get them out of bad situations. Same as an emergency call button on an elevator basically. I dont understand these cars to have any feature like that so far, and I'm assuming this woman would have used it if one was available, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

These cars are likely going to turn into hijack machines if they're programmed for "maximum safety" in situations where, realistically, breaking every traffic law, hitting a pedestrian or causing damage to the vehicle through dangerous terrain may be the only way out with a living passenger. The second it begins to percolate among criminals that these things are super easy to stop at the perfect location of your choosing like this, they are going to become a massive target.

Or they turn into a hearse if the passenger has a medical emergency and the car doesn't redirect while the passenger is incapacitated. They might be coherent enough to press a button, but not to open their phone, navigate the app, call for help or redirect the car to a hospital...

But that of course requires labor so it will not happen until legally mandated after a minimum threshold of people die.

[-] Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 156 points 1 month ago

“The men came over to the car again and stood in front of it for a few minutes. Finally when they left, the car was still stalled but I clicked the ‘in car support’ on the screen and they seemed to be aware of the issue,” Amina said. “They asked if I was OK and the car began to drive towards my location. They asked if I needed police support and I said no.”

When she was almost to her destination, Waymo support called her again to ask if she was ok, she said. “I assured him that I was fine and he told me I would be given a free ride after,” she said. “After many hours I was called one last time by their support team. They asked if I was OK and told me that they have 24/7 support available. They also said I would get the next ride or next two rides (uncertain) free.”

"In an instance like this, our riders have 24/7 access to Rider Support agents who will help them navigate the situation in real time and coordinate closely with law enforcement officers to provide further assistance as needed," a spokesperson for Waymo told 404 Media in an email. "While these sorts of events are exceedingly rare among the 100,000 trips we serve a week across Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix, we take them very seriously. We continuously look for ways to improve rider experience and remain committed to improving road safety and mobility in the cities where we operate."

[-] LePoisson@lemmy.world 151 points 1 month ago

they should have [thing that already exists]

Nobody reads the article though...

[-] Aatube@kbin.melroy.org 21 points 1 month ago

Agreed, but to play devil's advocate, the support wasn't branded as such and customers could've not reported out of shame, which wouldn't happen if they knew they could do that at the beginning before it became anything substantial.

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[-] lemmyvore@feddit.nl 52 points 1 month ago

override the auto driving

I must be tired right now but I don't see how a remote operator could have driven better in this situation.

You can't get away from someone blocking your car in traffic without risk.of hitting them or other people or vehicles.

You probably meant they ought to drive away regardless of what they hit, if it helps the passenger escape a.dire.situation? But I have to wonder if a remote operator would agree to be put on the spot like that.

[-] FireRetardant@lemmy.world 37 points 1 month ago

Yea I'm not too keen on giving authorization to hit pedestrians. If I feel threatened in my car, I am not allowed to run over the person so why should a driverless car gain that right? And if the panic button is going to call the police, how is that any different from the passenger using their phone to contact police? Seems like extra steps of middlemen and confusion when the passenger could just call once they feel the need.

I could defintely see a case for some extra safety features that help keep the doors locked and shut, maybe thicker windows too if needed to prevent robberies/assaults.

[-] Zak@lemmy.world 39 points 1 month ago

If I feel threatened in my car, I am not allowed to run over the person

You are not allowed to run people over merely because you feel threatened.

You are allowed to use deadly force, in the USA when you reasonably believe that it is necessary to prevent someone from unlawfully killing, causing serious physical injury, or committing a short list of violent felonies. The harassment described in the article probably does not rise to that level, though an ambitious lawyer might try to describe intentionally causing the car to stop as carjacking or kidnapping.

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[-] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 month ago

I can't think of a NY cab driver that couldn't have handled this situation.

This guy isn't doing fedoras any favors either - I'm already a bit on the skeptical side when I see a fedora.

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[-] cbarrick@lemmy.world 25 points 1 month ago

What are you going on about? Have you ever ridden in one of these?

They do have these buttons...

https://support.google.com/waymo/answer/9172373?hl=en

[-] Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 21 points 1 month ago

It sounds like Waymo were already aware of the situation, in fact they called her in the vehicle as it was happening.

Not to say this isn't a good suggestion, but they seem to have other systems in place that worked.

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[-] TheObviousSolution@lemm.ee 93 points 1 month ago

I can see criminals easily exploiting this default behavior to stop the car and steal from those inside.

Where's a Johnny cab when you need it, it knows how to deal with criminals.

[-] roguetrick@lemmy.world 32 points 1 month ago

I doubt choosing to stick up a vehicle covered in cameras with someone who likely isn't even carrying cash is anyone's idea of a good payoff.

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[-] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 21 points 1 month ago

Where’s a Johnny cab when you need it

Or a Delamain.

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[-] NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world 79 points 1 month ago

Waymo should provide a loaded shotgun in every car. It's America, after all.

/s

[-] lepinkainen@lemmy.world 31 points 1 month ago

Make it AI controlled for good measure

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[-] tal@lemmy.today 76 points 1 month ago
[-] Ep1cFac3pa1m@lemmy.world 38 points 1 month ago

The official hat of “females always pick the chads, even though I dress better than all these normies!”

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[-] IvanOverdrive@lemm.ee 60 points 1 month ago

One of the men repeatedly made a “call me” gesture with his hand, then took his fedora off and literally tipped it at her...

It's assholes like this that make dudes in fedoras look bad. This and -you know- the hats themselves.

[-] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 28 points 1 month ago

Fedoras are cool. That's a trilby, the classic neckbeard topper.

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[-] roofuskit@lemmy.world 60 points 1 month ago

And they probably got upset when women chose the bear.

[-] BambiDiego@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I don't know why you're getting downvoted, I had the same thought

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[-] uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone 43 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I'd expect the Waymo video to have captured footage of these guys. It might not be that difficult to track them, and street harassment might well qualify as assault if the DA of San Francisco were interested in prosecuting.

That said, it's telling that they freely and openly harassed a strange woman on the street once the threat of being run over was not a factor.

ETA: One short-term workaround is to tint the windows so that passengers cannot be seen from the outside, but there might be causes to harass occupied Waymo vehicles regardless of the passenger (say, to mug them). I'm curious if this is going to lead to equipping autonomous vehicles with anti-riot ordnance.

[-] Scolding7300@lemmy.world 24 points 1 month ago

Delamin Cabs vibe over here, hope people get the Excelsior package

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[-] HawlSera@lemm.ee 40 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

This is why driverless cars are a bad idea, they assume that everything will work as intended and everyone will play by the rules.

You need a human to make a snap decision in cases like these.

I hope these men are arrested for sexual solicitation via coercion (could be tried as attempted rape in the right state), disrupting traffic, sexual harassment, public disturbance. Fuck em, or better yet, don't fuck em, they're unfuck worthy.

What were these morons thinking? I'm sex positive as hell, I'm all for bringing back the free love of the 70's and the LSD of the 60's, but not like this, never anything like this... Hypothetically bro say you do get her number this way?

The fuck happens next?

"Hey remember me, I'm the dipshit who pressured you into giving me this number by trapping you in your car via exploitation of its safety features? So I'll pick you up at 7 for a romantic candlelit dinner and afterwards we could go see a movi..." click "Hello? Damn, friendzoned again."

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[-] ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 34 points 1 month ago

Doing things like this when you're certainly being recorded is a great idea. Wait, hold on...

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[-] dumbass@leminal.space 33 points 1 month ago

I love how he looks like 2 different types of douchebags when he takes his hat off!

[-] yamanii@lemmy.world 33 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The fedora tipping is too funny, seeing it from outside the situation, but she certainly was very scared because it's such a bizarre event.

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[-] dutchkimble@lemy.lol 32 points 1 month ago

There's enough footage etc I guess for them to be identified and arrested, wonder if that's happening

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[-] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 31 points 1 month ago

“The men came over to the car again and stood in front of it for a few minutes. Finally when they left, the car was still stalled but I clicked the ‘in car support’ on the screen and they seemed to be aware of the issue,” Amina said. “They asked if I was OK and the car began to drive towards my location. They asked if I needed police support and I said no.”

When she was almost to her destination, Waymo support called her again to ask if she was ok, she said. “I assured him that I was fine and he told me I would be given a free ride after,” she said. “After many hours I was called one last time by their support team. They asked if I was OK and told me that they have 24/7 support available. They also said I would get the next ride or next two rides (uncertain) free.”

While scary, I'm left kinda impressed by Waymo's support.

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[-] FJW@discuss.tchncs.de 29 points 1 month ago

Okay, this really seems more like a case of sexual harassment, rather than harassment of Waymo customers, which was my first suspicion. Had it been the latter as part of a politically motivated action against the company I might have had a lot more sympathy, but this is disgusting…

[-] MenacingPerson@lemm.ee 20 points 1 month ago

You saw the fedora and thought it was anything but sexual harassment? LMAO

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[-] shortwavesurfer@lemmy.zip 25 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

They are quite lucky that woman was not my mother because she'd have pulled out her gun and been like, I told you to move, damnit.

[-] Imgonnatrythis@sh.itjust.works 27 points 1 month ago

What part of Texas is she from?

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[-] Kusimulkku@lemm.ee 19 points 1 month ago

I have to admit, I expected a lot worse from the style of writing. This was written like some true crime stuff lol

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[-] AbaixoDeCao@lemm.ee 18 points 1 month ago

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this post was submitted on 01 Oct 2024
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