A problem with trucks as the leading-edge is that they're already a bit alien to the public and policymakers: resented in traffic, feared out of proportion to actual risks, underappreciated as some narrow corporate/union interest. If they're the test case, enthusiasm will be lower, regulation more costly/cautious, and the public vaguely suspicious, primed to assume the worst when anything goes wrong.
Yep. People who know they're around a self-driving car may act weird, too: gawking at or challenging the software. (The young and reckless might even play chicken with autocars for thrills.)
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A problem with trucks as the leading-edge is that they're already a bit alien to the public and policymakers: resented in traffic, feared out of proportion to actual risks, underappreciated as some narrow corporate/union interest. If they're the test case, enthusiasm will be lower, regulation more costly/cautious, and the public vaguely suspicious, primed to assume the worst when anything goes wrong.
Plus, people drive like idiots around them. It is amazing what normally sane people will do in the presence of a truck.
Yep. People who know they're around a self-driving car may act weird, too: gawking at or challenging the software. (The young and reckless might even play chicken with autocars for thrills.)