The main issue is less with the automated vehicles, it's more with the fact that they automated vehicle is programmed to obey all relevant safety parameters (speed, distance, signal indications, lane positioning, etc.) and is never distracted or texting.

Unfortunately, the most interesting incidents have occurred because these vehicles programmed with logical algorithms, can't adequately process, analyze, or predict the unpredictable, often completely unexpected, or even outright completely irrational actions of the users of our current vehicle control technology run with a computer based on the chimp brain operating system. IIRC the account of google car accidents attributed exactly one to the car when it side swiped the bus, because it thought in was a solid wall, and didn't detect that is was also moving. All others were chimp initiated events.

This, and saving billions of dollars in accidents and traffic delays, is why we should mandate collision avoidance as a start, so fewer of the chimps will run into the automated vehicles minding their own business, and behaving in a safe and rational manner, unlike the idiots we are all prone to become behind the wheel.

These developments will be held to liability standards, like choo-choo's were back when evil killer trains were still a new form of mayhem, some will win some will lose, some will demand changes and safer standards, and the technology will adapt...... The future ain't what it used to be.....

Now, I have an actual Amtrak question for Berg. Is LOSSAN going to be up and operating the weekend of the MS bike ride, later this month October 21 and 22? Some folks may want to come back to Irvine after day one, and others wanted to know if they could come back by train on Sunday