Agreed, Tony. I worry that this is going to set back autonomous driving, or if it's just what we'd expect to see at this point in its development.

It's undeniable that Tesla owners have been irresponsible with the autonomous driving mode - Youtube can tell you - but you're right, it's hard to know what happened in this case. I guess you'd have to ask: if this exact same scenario had happened in a car that wasn't autonomous would it have happened?

Most people know that cruise control still requires vigilance. I find it scary that Tesla owners don't treat this brand new feature the same way. The company has made it extremely clear that they should.

I really don't want to cast blame on the victim. This is a terrible thing to happen and I feel terrible for him and his family. I'm just trying to figure out how I feel and think about this event. In the long run, I think it's imperative that we develop autonomous vehicles, but to my mind the biggest question is what happens when these accidents occur (and they will). It's so easy to blame a drunk or reckless driver for accidents they cause. But if I'm sitting in a Google car on my way to work in 2025 and the computers inside make a mistake and drive me off the road, how do we respond to that?