The Irony of Autonomous Vehicles in a Community of Drivers

Rebecca Solnit:

Driverless cars are often called autonomous vehicles — but driving isn’t an autonomous activity. It’s a cooperative social activity, in which part of the job of whoever’s behind the wheel is to communicate with others on the road. Whether on foot, on my bike, or in a car, I engage in a lot of hand gestures — mostly meaning “Wait!” or “Go ahead!” — when I’m out and about, and I look for others’ signals.

No Straight Road Takes You There, p. 89

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