On Private Property, Innovator “Can Try New Ideas Without as Much Red Tape”

(p. B1) SAN JOSE, Calif. — Molly Jackson, an 82-year-old retired nurse, was sitting in the back seat of a self-driving taxi when the vehicle jerked to a halt at a crossing as its computer vision spotted an approaching golf cart.
When the vehicle, a modified Ford Fusion developed by a start-up named Voyage, started to inch forward, it abruptly stopped again as the golfers pressed ahead and cut in front of the car.
Ms. Jackson seemed unfazed by the bumpy ride. As a longtime resident of the Villages Golf and Country Club, a retirement community in San Jose, Calif., she knew all about aggressive golf cart drivers.
“I like that; we made a good stop there,” Ms. Jackson said. “I stop for them. They say we don’t have to, but I do.”
. . .
The speed limit, just 25 miles an hour, helps reduce the risk if something goes wrong. And because it is private property, the company does not have to share ride information with regulators and it can try new ideas without as much red tape.
(p. B6) Cars that can drive themselves could be a great benefit to older people. Residents at the Villages say that once people stop driving, they often pull back from activities and interacting with friends.

For the full story, see:
DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI. “Where Cars Brake for Golf Carts.” The New York Times (Thurs., OCT. 5, 2017): B1 & B6.
(Note: ellipses added.)
(Note: the online version of the story has the date OCT. 4, 2017, and has the title “Where Driverless Cars Brake for Golf Carts.”)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *