<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Baidu claimed they were going to release a level 4 self-driving car, almost. What happened answers a lot of legal questions I have had for a long time.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A level 4 car can drive itself without a steering wheel so the passenger (if any) is not liable for what the car does. We already have geofenced areas around here (the Google campus has one) where they can be operated legally. As I understand it, if a level 4 kills somebody on Google’s campus, Google is responsible for it.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>A level 4 is critically important to a lot of people because at some point in life our driving ability declines and we get to where even if we don’t trust computers to drive us, we trust it more than we trust ourselves and furthermore… we might have a stroke or something and we want to tell the car to turn around, take me to Stanford, tell my doctor I am coming and have the undertaker ready, that kinda thing.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Now I am hearing Baidu is still going ahead with it, but will only sell it to a taxi company, which assumes the liability. It occurred to me the same thing is likely to happen here: L4s will become available only to those with deep pockets and only in certain areas. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>So we could see them in places where they make sense: extended retirement communities such as Sun City Arizona, places where there is a lotta money such as Palo Alto and those areas around Google, but market penetration may take years after the technology is here and being demonstrated. As we foresaw 20 years ago: self-driving may end up being more a legal question than a technical challenge, for technology is fast, law is slow.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>In the meantime: take good care of your health and vision for it might be a while yet before we have the option of a level 4 self-driver.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>