To the editor: Corporate greed continues its relentless drive to automate more and more services that people used to work on and earn a living from. (“Waymo will launch a robotaxi service in Los Angeles, but you won't be able to drive on the highway, for now,” March 13)
In 1950, elevators began to be automated. In the 1960s, robotics began to take on certain roles on automobile assembly lines. Today, many grocery stores and pharmacy chains have installed self-checkout counters.
And now we are supposed to get into a driverless vehicle to travel from one place to another.
This march toward mechanization will continue to eliminate more and more jobs that were previously performed by humans. The inevitable result is what we are experiencing: people who cannot afford to live anywhere other than the street.
Marcia Goodman, Long Beach
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To the editor: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 43,000 people died in traffic crashes in the United States in 2021, and about half of those deaths were due to speeding or driving under the influence.
Therefore, the introduction of driverless vehicles should lead to a reduction in traffic-related deaths simply by eliminating those causes.
However, as your article indicates, driver rage against self-driving vehicles needs to be addressed with laws that punish this type of behavior.
Jim Winterroth, Torrance
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To the editor: Is it just me or does anyone else think the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has lost its way? The CPUC's approval of driverless vehicles in the face of public safety concerns is simply astonishing.
In San Francisco, police and firefighters have documented numerous cases in which these vehicles blocked traffic and prevented emergency vehicles from moving while opposing the expansion of driverless vehicles. The CPUC appears to give no consideration to the concerns of local elected officials.
Additionally, at a time when climate change poses an existential threat, the CPUC undermined a popular and effective residential solar energy program that led to sharp reductions in residential solar panel installation. What gives?
Jeff Prang, Los Angeles
The writer is the elected county assessor of Los Angeles County.
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To the editor: Automated driverless cars seem extremely dangerous in an area with millions of drivers and high speeds. But just like when Uber and Lyft started operating, this will take more jobs away from taxi drivers.
Many of these drivers are immigrants who depend on their jobs to feed and house their families and send their children to college. I know this because I only use a taxi company whose drivers are mostly first generation citizens. I have used it for about 30 years and no automated taxi could be better.
Why take this business and the jobs it offers away from us? This is more than dangerous; It's cruel.
Lynne Shapiro, Marina del Rey
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To the editor: Your article quotes someone asking, “Why is it so important to get human drivers out of their seats?”
Considering that more than 40,000 people die each year in car accidents in the United States, the vast majority of which are caused by human error, the answer is obvious.
Nick Hooper, Los Angeles
