The Tesla Episode - can autonomous cars save us from an evolutionary mismatch?

Published: March 30, 2019, 4:56 a.m.

Cars kill a lot of people. We see the consequences every day in the Emergency Department. These accidental deaths result from a mismatch between our brains and the modern environment. We routinely pilot 3500 lb automobiles at speeds in excess of 75 mph, a task the human brain was not evolved to perform, especially when drunk or while texting. Can we let the computer do the driving for us, and fix this mismatch problem? Does partial autonomy pose an even greater risk and mismatch for our brains and bodies? Coffee Brown and Joe Alcock explore these issues in this podcast.