I think Haley is right, a 6 year old shouldn't be unsupervised when getting ready for school. I don't think she meant he should be dressed by his mother, only she should be there and awake waiting with him, making his breakfast and making sure he gets on the bus. If not for the prior problems I would give the mother the benefit of the doubt on not waking up, once. I still get my kids up and when I am home I stay awake till they get on the bus. They're older now but when they were younger they went to the neighbor's house on days I had to work or go to school so an adult supervised them. I still call most days when I'm at work to make sure they are doing ok and made it home from school. It's just not normal to leave a 6 year old to fend for himself.

With my one pickup I was frequently driving off with the gas cap on top of the topper. I had it survive home a time or two, once it dropped down and caught on the rear bumper, once I found it in the street, then I finally lost it for good. Same pickup carried a box of tools 125 miles, open. One of the socket sets (and an expensive one) with a couple screwdrivers and pliers on top. How it did it, I have no idea. I guess I was living right at the time. So I was pretty good until a year or two ago I was loading up at a motel and brought out something, set it down while I opened the back of the van. Had to go to the side of the van for something and sure enough, got distracted and backed into it while I was leaving. Heard the noise and thought at first my breaks were catching. Well in a way they were. Then it hit me. Got out and the owner of the motel started yelling that I had something behind me! DUH, yeah, I figured it out. When I managed gas stations people would drive off occasionally with the nozzle in the car. And they'd get upset when we gave them a bill for it. And one woman set the baby bucket on top of the car, got gas, came in and paid, and yep, got in, started up and put it in gear. I saw what was happening so I was on my way out the door when she put it in gear and yelled. And she was offended that I yelled at her. Sometimes you can't win.

Self driving autos do hold the promise of reduced accidents. However, it is my opinion that more work needs to be done on how to handle a failure. I also believe that accidents will still abound as long as there is a mix of human and automatic drivers. Humans have the capacity to do the unexpected and sometimes emotional charged actions. Forcing an automatic car to navigate in a human environment seems tough. Humans take so many cues from their surroundings and can process changes thereof, a situation that a programmed automaton might not be able to assess. For example, what happens to a self driver during a snow-fall? Highway features and markers begin to disappear. What about a downpour when the center-line is hard to see, has a sheet of water over it, and has the same reflectivity as the rest of the road surface? It seems to me that self driving cars will be successful only when those are the only vehicles allowed. This eliminates the human randomness and all vehicles on the road are obeying the same set of rules. This would affect road design; Features would be added that were designed to aid the automatic auto. I would not be happy with preceding restriction. I enjoy, too much, the freedom of driving to a remote part of the country and taking in the view. or maybe, live in a remote cabin for a month or two. Its an uncertain future ahead, but self-driving vehicles will increase. I see it as a boon for the trucking industry. An automatic truck driver doesn't need sleep, food, potty stops, or gets tired. It could cover as much distance in one hop as permitted by the fuel in its tanks. It doesn't need health insurance or a contribution to its retirement fund. It has no family dependents. Another segment is freight trains. These would be a natural for automation.

I really was taken aback by the "holier than thou" take on my post. I sure don't feel that way, nor did I intend to come off that way. Hands free is legal in my state, however, the law now prohibits any contact with your cell, even when stopped in traffic. I've never used my cell in the car, I never look at texts and certainly wouldn't text myself. If hands free were illegal, I wouldn't do it. I never used my phone in the car before I had hands free and it is really a rare occasion when I do now - maybe to let someone know I'm stuck in traffic or running late. I have one route I take on a 2 lane country highway to my cabin, with long stretches of open road and sometimes I will talk to a friend for an extended period, but that, too, is rare. I am careful about when and where I talk, not on unfamiliar roads or when traffic seems to be erratic. I do feel like I am a super aware driver, I drive defensively. The same with my GPS...I always put in the address before I start moving and it talks me through maneuvers. I do glance at the dash display to see what the next move is going to be and how far away it is, but like I said above, it's no more of a glance than at my speedometer. I guess you can be livid if you want. I hope you don't ever turn on your car radio, or change the station or listen to the news. For some people that could be a big distraction and time with your eyes off the road. Same with smokers who light up while driving. Or people who drink their lattes, or even sip from water bottles. Only one hand available to control your car. I think it's a spectrum of distractions and abilities.