On: Uber will not re-apply for self-driving car permit...

[olalonde]

It's hard to say for sure but the released video[0] makes it seem like most human drivers wouldn't have avoided the pedestrian in time.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO9iRUx5wmM

[sfifs → olalonde]

Human eye's dynamic range perception in the dark is far superior to the poor quality video camera that was released.

The woman had crossed two lanes of the road before coming in front of the car - ie. fairly unrestricted range of view. A human driver paying attention would almost certainly have seen her and stopped or at least slowed down to a level where this would not have been a fatality.

[bkor → sfifs]

Aside from that, the LIDAR did see the person. The system just didn't respond at all.

[smileysteve → olalonde]

I regularly drive 50mph on unlit roads in a rural setting where a deer could walk out at anytime -- and I hope that I can swerve and brake to miss it -- or at least slow down.

No excuse for a modern car at only 38mph.