FSD Vehicles

[JohnH]

For Waymo, there is some useful independent data that suggests they may be safer than the average driver:

https://www.axios.com/2026/07/23/waymo- ... rash-study

And Waymo is an option that works today. But of course, few of us will move just to be in a place where Waymo offers service.

Yeah. The technology is rapidly expanding, though, and Tesla is now entering the fray with Tesla Robotaxis, so this is going to become a competitive field.

I don't think FSD, etc., really offer an alternative to driving for people too old to drive. You still have to be in the vehicle, alert, and ready to grab the wheel.

I am stacking it up against what is the alternative in reality, which is elderly people just keep driving a non-FSD car. An FSD car at least improves the odds a bit. (The same goes for young, new, inexperienced drivers, who also get in a great deal of accidents.)

Overall, I expect the statistics to eventually get us to the point where new vehicles are basically required to have near-FSD, and insurers start pricing that in too.

[Bootstrap]

For Waymo, there is some useful independent data that suggests they may be safer than the average driver:

https://www.axios.com/2026/07/23/waymo- ... rash-study

And Waymo is an option that works today. But of course, few of us will move just to be in a place where Waymo offers service.

Yeah. The technology is rapidly expanding, though, and Tesla is now entering the fray with Tesla Robotaxis, so this is going to become a competitive field.

Indeed. In the meantime, Lyft, Uber, and public transportation are all options. Many cities offer senior transportation in various ways. Rural areas on Western North Carolina and the Berea Kentucky area arrange driving services for seniors, mostly run by volunteers. Churches can certainly help with this. Or family, if they are local.

Amazon and Walmart delivery is also really helpful here.

I don't think FSD, etc., really offer an alternative to driving for people too old to drive. You still have to be in the vehicle, alert, and ready to grab the wheel.

I am stacking it up against what is the alternative in reality, which is elderly people just keep driving a non-FSD car. An FSD car at least improves the odds a bit. (The same goes for young, new, inexperienced drivers, who also get in a great deal of accidents.)

Overall, I expect the statistics to eventually get us to the point where new vehicles are basically required to have near-FSD, and insurers start pricing that in too.

I'm not sure that the elderly driving an FSD car really is safer if they aren't ready to grab the wheel when needed. But I do think this technology is likely to improve over time.

In the meantime, this is a way Christians can serve their neighbors, family can support their loved ones, etc. A good way to build community.

[JohnH]

Realistically, modern FSD rarely needs an intervention. I would call this “harm reduction”: it’s hard to take an elderly person’s keys away; in the mean time, you can reduce the total overall harm with near-FSD.

[ohio jones]

Realistically, modern FSD rarely needs an intervention. I would call this “harm reduction”: it’s hard to take an elderly person’s keys away; in the mean time, you can reduce the total overall harm with near-FSD.

How many elderly drivers have you tried to teach new tricks to? It's hard enough to "take their keys away" by giving them a fob and a start button on the dash when they've been inserting a key into an ignition switch for 75 years. FSD would confuse my parents so much they'd rather give up driving than try to learn it.

[JohnH]

Realistically, modern FSD rarely needs an intervention. I would call this “harm reduction”: it’s hard to take an elderly person’s keys away; in the mean time, you can reduce the total overall harm with near-FSD.

How many elderly drivers have you tried to teach new tricks to? It's hard enough to "take their keys away" by giving them a fob and a start button on the dash when they've been inserting a key into an ignition switch for 75 years. FSD would confuse my parents so much they'd rather give up driving than try to learn it.

If someone can't handle pressing a button of their destination and then watching the car drive itself... they're probably way past the point of driving at all.

[ohio jones]

"pressing a button of their destination" seems like an oversimplification.

[ken_sylvania]

Realistically, modern FSD rarely needs an intervention. I would call this “harm reduction”: it’s hard to take an elderly person’s keys away; in the mean time, you can reduce the total overall harm with near-FSD.

How many elderly drivers have you tried to teach new tricks to? It's hard enough to "take their keys away" by giving them a fob and a start button on the dash when they've been inserting a key into an ignition switch for 75 years. FSD would confuse my parents so much they'd rather give up driving than try to learn it.

If someone can't handle pressing a button of their destination and then watching the car drive itself... they're probably way past the point of driving at all.

OK, Sheldon, you're right.

[JohnH]

"pressing a button of their destination" seems like an oversimplification.

I thought it was too until I experienced it myself. You just put that in, and then sit back and watch... (if you don't watch, the eye tracker will catch you not watching and warn you to keep paying attention or else it will try to pull over, stop, and disengage FSD; I guess if you do this too many times, the FSD feature stops being available.)

[ohio jones]

"You just put that in" seems like an oversimplification. How many non-tech seniors have you tried to program?

[JohnH]

"You just put that in" seems like an oversimplification. How many non-tech seniors have you tried to program?

I generally have not tried to program people. It does have voice control where you can speak an address, if typing it in doesn't suit.