--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can make the assumption that most…" description: "\"You can make the assumption that most human drivers are not out to kill pedestrians. Well, maybe in some parts of Boston they are. But with a person at..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/rodney-brooks-16742_car_you-can-make-the-assumption-that-most-hu_610439.png" --- # You can make the assumption that most human drivers are… ![“You can make the assumption that most human drivers are not out to kill pedestrians. Well, maybe in some parts of Boston they are. But with a person at the wheel who you can see, you behave accordingly. With the robotic car, how do you know what assumption to make?” quote by Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/rodney-brooks-16742_car_you-can-make-the-assumption-that-most-hu_610439.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/rodney-brooks-16742_car_you-can-make-the-assumption-that-most-hu_610439.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea9/rodney-brooks-16742_car_you-can-make-the-assumption-that-most-hu_610439.png) > “You can make the assumption that most human drivers are not out to kill pedestrians. Well, maybe in some parts of Boston they are. But with a person at the wheel who you can see, you behave accordingly. With the robotic car, how do you know what assumption to make?” [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human drivers are assumed to be generally safe, but autonomous vehicles lack visible cues, making assumptions about intent harder. **In simple terms:** Human drivers are trusted; robots lack signals. Key Takeaway Design clear communication for autonomous cars. Themes trust automation ethics risk communication Mood cautious analytical Type ethical practical When to use this quote - urban driving - pedestrian safety - autonomous vehicle design Key Concepts human‑machine interaction risk assessment behavioral assumptions Questions to Reflect On - How can robots signal intent to humans? - What safeguards replace human intuition? A Different Perspective Assumptions may be wrong, leading to accidents. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Car](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/car/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human Drivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-drivers-392461/) [Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Pedestrians Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pedestrians-maybe-4958393/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Person Wheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-wheel-960207/) [Robotic Car](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robotic-car-4958392/) [Wheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheel/) [Wheel Behave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheel-behave-4958394/) ## Related quotes > [Be the person behind the wheel of your life and let those who judge you become the passengers in your journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-the-person-behind-the-wheel-of-your-life-and-let-those-who-judge/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If the person at the wheel refuses to ask for directions, it is time for a new driver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-granholm/if-the-person-at-the-wheel-refuses-to-ask-for-directions-it-is-time/) [Jennifer Granholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-granholm/) > [Conflating thought experiments with reality could slow the deployment of AVs that are reliably safer than human drivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-iagnemma/conflating-thought-experiments-with-reality-could-slow-the-deployment/) [Karl Iagnemma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-iagnemma/) > [“But Galen hasn’t been responsible in looking for road signs since this conversation first started. 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They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-here-is-so-caught-up-in-the-game-of-life-they-don-t-see/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Rodney Brooks > [If you make your robot look exactly like Albert Einstein, then the robot better be as smart as Einstein, or its user is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-brooks/if-you-make-your-robot-look-exactly-like-albert-einstein-then-the/) [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) > [Robotics is very interdisciplinary, and so, except at a very few colleges, there is not a major that is exactly fitted to robotics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-brooks/robotics-is-very-interdisciplinary-and-so-except-at-a-very-few/) [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) > [When I look out in the future, I can't imagine a world, 500 years from now, where we don't have robots everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-brooks/when-i-look-out-in-the-future-i-can-t-imagine-a-world-500-years-from/) [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) > [I won some genetic lottery. 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My goal is to create a company that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-brooks/i-begin-by-looking-for-megatrends-changes-in-the-world-that-will/) [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) > [Much to the surprise of the builders of the first digital computers, programs written for them usually did not work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-brooks/much-to-the-surprise-of-the-builders-of-the-first-digital-computers/) [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) > [The most important thing for building a robot that you can interact with socially is its visual attention system. Because what it pays attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-brooks/the-most-important-thing-for-building-a-robot-that-you-can-interact/) [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) > [If you want a machine to be able to interact with people, it better not do things that are surprising to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-brooks/if-you-want-a-machine-to-be-able-to-interact-with-people-it-better/) [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) > [Hands-on experience is the best way to learn about all the interdisciplinary aspects of robotics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-brooks/hands-on-experience-is-the-best-way-to-learn-about-all-the/) [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) > [I always tell people, it's never too late to start saving for retirement. It's not that important how much you have already saved. What's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-brooks/i-always-tell-people-it-s-never-too-late-to-start-saving-for/) [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) > [I moved to MIT from Stanford in 1984 to teach, and became the founding director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-brooks/i-moved-to-mit-from-stanford-in-1984-to-teach-and-became-the-founding/) [Rodney Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-brooks/) > [I see robotic technology getting rid of the dangerous, the dirty, and the just plain boring jobs. Some people say, 'You can't. 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