Self-driving cars--seriously?

[Chris Parks]

Cars will or have begun to talk to traffic lights to smooth out the traffic flow and stop needless idling and lost time. Car emissions can be better controlled if the vehicle does not stop and less accidents occur if stop/start is avoided. Jaguar and Lucas began trialling autonomous cars back in 1994 but research must have begun in the late 80's to early 90's which is a lot further back than I would have thought.




https://www.wired.com/2012/10/v2v-germany/

http://fortune.com/2016/12/06/audi-t...-lights-vegas/

[Myk Rian]

We have some traffic circles around here and I've never heard of a head-on collision in any of the circles. Why would you think they would cause head-on collisions? I can see an American driver in England having a problem, but not for local drivers.

Mike

You have no idea. Here's a roundabout 10 miles south of us.
Accidents of all types every week. This is half of the roundabout/s we were gifted with. There are 2 more on the other side of the freeway US-23
option-2jpg-011807febcee795e.jpg

[Pat Barry]

You have no idea. Here's a roundabout 10 miles south of us.
Accidents of all types every week. This is half of the roundabout/s we were gifted with. There are 2 more on the other side of the freeway US-23
option-2jpg-011807febcee795e.jpg

That is bizarre!

[Carlos Alvarez]

You have no idea. Here's a roundabout 10 miles south of us.
Accidents of all types every week. This is half of the roundabout/s we were gifted with. There are 2 more on the other side of the freeway US-23
option-2jpg-011807febcee795e.jpg

We have a similar one about the same distance away. I've yet to hear about a wreck there, but I have watched people do some really stupid things. Like run right across the middle, or spin out by driving too fast in the rain and bouncing off the curb, etc.

Map.jpg

[Larry Edgerton]

You have no idea. Here's a roundabout 10 miles south of us.
Accidents of all types every week. This is half of the roundabout/s we were gifted with. There are 2 more on the other side of the freeway US-23
option-2jpg-011807febcee795e.jpg

There is one like that at Traverse as well, PITA. Michigan's are all too small a radius. I have been in a lot of them around the country that feel natural and they are all a large enough radius that you can easily make the turns at 35mph in a dump truck, and with the larger radius comes enough room that you can maneuver to where you want out of the circle. The one at Five Corners in Lubbock TX. was actually fun.

If the one you pictured was actually one large circle, it would still be about 20% too small, but it would be much easier to navigate.

[Brian Elfert]

You have no idea. Here's a roundabout 10 miles south of us.
Accidents of all types every week. This is half of the roundabout/s we were gifted with. There are 2 more on the other side of the freeway US-23
option-2jpg-011807febcee795e.jpg

Those are just standard roundabouts back to back. I can see having crashes, but I don't understand how you have a head on crash unless someone turns right onto the feeder road at the top right of the photo. That road really should have a median to stop vehicles turning right.

Most roundabouts in Minnesota are signed at 15 MPH. It would be hard to go 35 MPH through most of them. They really make sense if drivers actually understood how to use them. I don't even really understand how to navigate them. I think you are supposed to signal when leaving a roundabout, but I never do because nobody else does. The lack of signaling causes issues because you never know if somebody is leaving the roundabout, or if they are crossing in front of you.

[Chris Parks]

It works but don't ask me how....

[Carlos Alvarez]

Spent 12-13 hours driving to CA and back this weekend. The sheer number of idiots who refuse to use the cruise control reminded me of this thread, and how I can't wait for self-driving cars where people can't choose to not use the provided safety systems. Most of the time the only stress and annoyance on the open road is the people who don't hold a steady speed.

Of course, if my car were self driving, I wouldn't care and would be doing something useful, or napping.

[Chris Parks]

It is a problem I can never understand and a lot who do not use it increase speed when being overtaken and then fall back to the speed they were doing after I have to accelerate to clear them so others may get past.

[Brian Elfert]

Spent 12-13 hours driving to CA and back this weekend. The sheer number of idiots who refuse to use the cruise control reminded me of this thread, and how I can't wait for self-driving cars where people can't choose to not use the provided safety systems. Most of the time the only stress and annoyance on the open road is the people who don't hold a steady speed.

Cruise control is not a safety system. In fact, it can be less safe because cruise control users sometimes don't realize how fast they are approaching a slower car. Some will do ridiculous passing maneuvers to avoid turning off cruise control. Cruise control was designed to reduce drive fatigue.

I use cruise control whenever possible. I was really upset when I realized the rental car I got about a decade ago had no cruise and I had to drive five hours round trip.

[Chris Parks]

The cruise on my car monitors the speed of the car in front and adjusts my car's speed to match it until I pull out to pass then the car will resume to the pre set speed.




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[Ole Anderson]

Just wondering when the advantages of the self driving car will be universal with a lot of drivers refusing to come on board negating a lot of the advantages of automation. The end of driving classic cars? I suppose the first thing self driving cars must overcome is idiots. If folks can't figure out a roundabout, how will they deal with handing over control of their car to a computer?

[Chase Mueller]

Just wondering when the advantages of the self driving car will be universal with a lot of drivers refusing to come on board negating a lot of the advantages of automation. The end of driving classic cars? I suppose the first thing self driving cars must overcome is idiots. If folks can't figure out a roundabout, how will they deal with handing over control of their car to a computer?

I don't believe anyone will be forced to do that, seems highly unconstitutional.
One thing I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around is, what about supercars and what not? The performance industry for vehicles, whether it be building them or buying Lambos or Ferraris and such, is a huge industry. What happenes to that? I like my 6 speed turbo car, please keep making them lol.

[Chris Parks]

Stand by for the new Porsche coming to a dealer near you https://www.google.com.au/search?cli...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-ne...cks-frankfurt/

[Carlos Alvarez]

I don't believe anyone will be forced to do that, seems highly unconstitutional.

Well driving is a right, not a privilege, yet nearly everyone has been convinced otherwise and to give up the right and get a license. But regardless, having a few self-driving cars will definitely help. Some early studies show that as little as 20% saturation makes the human drivers behave better. Think about it--when many people around you are "competing" as most drivers do, it's chaos. But if just a few people would drive calmly and sanely, there would be a lot less of that. And it's probably not fun to compete against the computer as it is another human.

I don't know about supercars or many other car types. I have a Jeep that I take off-road a lot. What will happen to that? Don't know. I'm sure someone used to ask what about horses because that's the only way to go off-road, and then that problem got solved too. My love and weakness is fast motorcycles, no idea what will happen to that. My family is all gearheads and car nuts. But at some point it's also just a tool. We rarely use the full power of our sports car, and the off-road ability of the Jeep; day to day, there's so much about them that is just wasteful.