How safe are self-driving cars?

What are the risks of self driving cars, and how safe should they be? With the recent crash and fatality involving a self-driving Uber, and as these vehicles are increasingly being tested on public roads, deciding how safe is safe enough - and what responsible innovation means - is more important than ever.
We're A/B video testing video styles -- see the iPad version here: • How safe are self-driv...
The question of self-driving car risk and safety was thrown into sharp relief on Sunday March 18, when Elaine Herzberg was knocked down and killed in the Arizona city of Tempe, by an Uber SUV operating in self-driving mode. While it will be some time before the results of the crash investigation are known, the incident is already raising tough questions around the safety standards that companies like Uber are working to, and the regulations under which they are operating. But the incident also highlights the need for more consultation and collaboration with communities that stand to benefit or be harmed by these technologies.
Update: On March 26 it was announced by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey that Uber would be suspended from testing self-driving cars in the state following the death of Elaine Herzberg www.fox10phoeni...
USEFUL LINKS
Safety in a World of Driverless Cars (Rand Corporation) www.rand.org/m...
Why Waiting for Perfect Autonomous Vehicles May Cost Lives www.rand.org/b...
After Tempe fatality, self-driving car developers must engage with public now or risk rejection theconversatio...
Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts 2016 www.azdot.gov/...
Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State. 2017 Preliminary Data www.ghsa.org/s...
Redefining “Safety” for Self-Driving Cars www.scientific...
Waymo Safety Report 2017 storage.google...
GM Safety Report 2018 www.gm.com/con...
RISK BITES LITE
Risk Bites Lite videos are shorter and lighter than regular Risk Bites videos - perfect for an injection of fun thoughts when you’re not in the mood for anything too heavy!
RISK BITES
Risk Bites videos are devised, created and produced by Andrew Maynard, in association with the Arizona State University School for the Future of Innovation in Society (sfis.asu.edu). They are produced under a Creative Commons License CC-BY-SA
Backing tracks:
Believe in Yourself by Olive Musique. www.premiumbea...

[@koppadasao]

As long as Risk bites someone else, I don't care

[@gskibum]

I'll be optimistic with self driving technology when the car manufacturers start getting the relatively simple things they are doing today right.
For example, phone connectivity via USB or Bluetooth. I've used the systems in Jeep, Toyota and Mazda. They are all catastrophic junk. I have friends with Fords that despise their systems.
I'll spare the very long list of gripes, but it's.a long list that has shown no improvement over the years, that offers no reason for me to be optimistic for self driving tech.