Member-only story
Sneaking Up On A Driverless Car, Easy ’Cause They Aren’t Doing Enough To Look Behind Them
Dr. Lance Eliot, AI Insider
In college, my roommate was a car buff. He loved cars. Whenever he had the time, he would tinker with some aspect of his beloved car. At first, I thought he knew everything thing there was to know about cars. He did though have some quirks, one of which I discovered during a first-time ride with him in his pampered car.
I had noticed while sitting in the passenger seat that he rarely seemed to look at his rear-view mirror. Upon closer inspection, I realized that there wasn’t a mirror in his rear-view mirror.
I asked him why he did not have a mirror in his rear-view mirror.
This seemed to me like a “glaring” omission that should be rectified right away. In other words, the rear-view mirror structure was mounted in the normal spot on the front windshield, but there wasn’t a glass mirror inside the rear-view mirror. It was mirrorless. He then explained to me that this was done on purpose. What, I asked incredulously, could be the purpose for having a rear-view mirror that is mirrorless?
His answer: There’s no reason for him to look behind himself.
Huh? This seemed to be an answer that itself was also a mystery. Why would he not need to look…
