Isn't the definition of level 3 that you don't have to do this? Is your point that the claim of level 3 readiness is false or that all autonomous driving is somehow inferior to non autonomous driving?
If you are responsible for two tons of metal flying down the road at 70 mph you need to be fully engaged in that task.
We can handle being passengers and we can handle being drivers but we can't switch in a split second.
So my contention is that level-X where X is less than "I can fall asleep in the back seat" is a deadly valley between unassisted driving and passive passenger.
You’re correct, but this is the point of this announcement - 10secs to reorient yourself is a lot of time - it’s vastly different to “oops, you’re about to crash in 0.5s, sorry, you’re on your own”
10 seconds may be a lot or a little, depending on what you were doing. Humans are bad at grayscale rules and time estimation, so it's far safer to say "you're either a passenger or a driver" than to say "you're either a passenger or a driver or a person doing something that can easily be switched away from in 10 seconds".
A few examples of activities that could be hard to switch away from in time:
* Eating breakfast with food in my lap and the spoon halfway to my mouth.
* Typing an email.
* Reading a book.
Some of these could allow you to physically have your hands on the wheel in time, but then you still need to context switch your brain and then get up to date on the road.
> That's the thing - you're not. Once engaged, Mercedes takes liability, so you're no longer responsible.
Legally (though surely to be tested in court).
Morally though, I'd say the driver is still responsible if they kill someone. It doesn't feel right to say "Oh well, it's Mercedes' fault, shrug" after your car with you in it drives over someone else.
