Driverless Taxis Blocked Ambulance Response to Fatal Accident, San Francisco Fire Dept. Says
www.nytimes.com
Two Cruise taxis delayed an ambulance carrying a car accident victim to a hospital, a department report said. The company said it was not at fault.

Two Cruise driverless taxis blocked an ambulance carrying a critically injured patient who later died at a hospital, a San Francisco Fire Department report said, in another incident involving self-driving cars in the city.

On Aug. 14, two Cruise autonomous vehicles were stopped in the right two lanes of a four-lane, one-way street in the SoMa neighborhood, where the victim was found, according to the department report. It said that a police vehicle in another lane had to be moved in order for the ambulance to leave.

    • @[email protected]
      1•1 year ago

      You raise a good point. It would be possible for these smaller communities to become less dependent on cars if the services they needed were closer.

      I would actually really like to see that, but in today’s climate I don’t think there’s much viability for opening and maintaining grocery stores in small towns. Perhaps a few decades ago, but now that power is so concentrated, any grocery store that isn’t a part of a larger conglomerate wouldn’t be able to compete with the big names on price. It will almost always be cheaper to drive 30 min to a Walmart than to shop at your local Harp’s. (I’ve checked.)

        • @LifeInMultipleChoice
          1•1 year ago

          Don’t forget to throw in the part where we have to fix humanity. If a 35 year old woman doesn’t feel safe alone around random people now, imagine how they are going to feel sending their 17 year old son/daughter into those scenarios.

          Many people currently use their cars as a safe space. Drive to the grocery store, get out and quickly rush in. Safer inside. Get done what they need and rush to their car on the way out. Public transport turns that into a 4 hour ordeal of no safe spots except in the store. Bus stops and buses aren’t safe spots. That rando that creeps you out in the parking lot now, you are going to spend 20 minutes with walking back to the bus stop and waiting with them.

          Why are they on this bus with me… do I get off by my residence or do I get off elsewhere to hope I lose them before they follow me home. That might be more dangerous.