The AI system of self-driving cars needs to be properly aligned with the core driving controls: the steering wheel, brakes, and accelerator. (GETTY IMAGES)

Which is better, a lead foot on the brakes and a light-foot on the gas, or a lead foot on the gas and a featherweight foot on the brakes?

Hard to say.

If you are trying to drive onto the freeway, you usually need to double down on the gas pedal and make sure you enter into traffic at a fast and equitable speed.

If you are driving in a busy mall parking lot, probably best to keep your foot leaning on the brakes so that you don’t hit anyone.

I remember when I was guiding my children on how to drive a car that it seemed like they would inevitably drift toward having a heavy foot and a light foot on each of the respective pedals. Over time, they became proficient in judging how much pressure to apply for the gas and the brakes, doing so as based on the situation and the nature of the driving circumstances involved.

Today, they put little conscious thought into the matter and are seasoned drivers.

Novice drivers though aren’t quite sure how to treat the car controls. Besides my own children, I’ve seen the teenagers of other parents that were also apt to misjudge the controls when first learning to drive. It was somewhat comical one day to watch as a teenager drove down our street and his car seemed to start and stop. One moment the accelerator was being pushed, the next moment the teenager plied on the brakes. This makes sense in that he was concerned once his momentum got going that he was perhaps barreling too fast, so he wanted to slow down, but once he slowed down it became apparent that he needed to add some gas to get going again.

I’m sure we’ve all had the same experience when trying to learn to drive.

I’d also bet that sometimes you’ve found yourself thrown a kilter when trying to drive someone else’s car, and you were unsure of how sensitive the car controls were.

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Originally posted by:

Lance Eliot, the AI Trends Insider

www.aitrends.com

March 12th, 2020