HINGHAM, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Hingham Police expressed safety concerns this week over vehicles with self-driving features.
Hingham Police put out a statement after an incident where a driver in a Tesla passed a school bus stop sign while using the vehicle's self-driving mode. They stated in a post on facebook, "Reminder, even if a car has a driver assistance feature or self-driving option, the driver must still pay attention to what is happening on the road. The driver is always responsible for their vehicles safe operation." They included dash cam footage in the post of the incident moments before the traffic stop, where the driver was given a citation.
When asked about the incident, some drivers on the South Shore said they were concerned about the new technology. One said, "I don't think I would be comfortable driving a self-propelled car at all." Another said, "There are too many variables that come into play on the road."
Even for those more accepting of the technology, most said it's better used on the highway rather than residential areas. "A self-driving car might help you on a highway, maybe on the Mass. Pike I could see something like that," one said. "Never around town, never at intersections, stop lights," another said. One expressed concern about pedestrians' safety and said, "How are they going to know if somebody's on a crosswalk? We've got to find out more about this."
One person said they were concerned about the feature during the winter, when snow accumulates.
Many car manufacturers are currently investing millions of dollars into this new technology for their vehicles, and it's become widespread throughout several models.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Jim MacKay (@JimMacKayOnAir) reports.