How Would You Respond

[TWR]

to a convoy of unmanned HGV Trucks? I myself doubt this will work, why? there is too much against from the safety / Drivers point of view, I could control a runaway HGV could a computer? can a convoy foresee a traffic problem like debris / ice / blow out outs / un-secure loads / and many other issues that could happen on the Motorways, what do you think as private Motorist?

[Hopkirk]

How are cars in lane two able to move to lane one and leave the motorway if there are ten trucks travelling like a train in the way?

Silly idea.

(Mind you, I said I would never have a mobile phone, do internet banking or upgrade to a smart phone, so what do I know? I even bought a Betamax VCR)

[vulcan42]

If any one computer goes down it's the equivalent of a driver collapsing at the wheel, there will be total chaos and death.

[woofgang]

I think it won’t happen until those issues have been addressed.

[bhg481]

Hopkirk // How are cars in lane two able to move to lane one and leave the motorway if there are ten trucks travelling like a train in the way? //
Have you travelled on the German motorways? On many of them overtaking is forbidden for vehicles over 7.5 tonnes and anything towing (even a car towing a luggage trailer) ie, they are restricted to lane 1 even on 3-lane motorways. This can result in miles of nose-to-tail lorries in lane 1 making leaving the motorway all but impossible.

[bhg481]

Vulcan - why would there only be one computer per lorry? All important computer-controlled systems have built-in redundancy.

[bhg481]

Of course, you never see multiple pile-ups on motorways where lorries have piled into other lorries and cars, do you? Computers can monitor far more sensors at once than human drivers can; they can look in many directions at once whilst monitoring the outside temperature and use wavelenths other than visible light to see through fog, rain etc.

[Old_Geezer]

The covey idea is daft as it blocks other drivers as mentioned. The safety stuff will be designed in. With less chance of getting into a runaway situation anyway when it does there is no reason for there not to be code that does what is best in that situation as it would in any other situation. "Fail safe" would be built in.

As a private motorist I have no objection to driverless vehicles once it has been proven safer than human driven cars. But no convoys.

[vulcan42]

I don't understand why people assume driverless cars will be safer than driven cars. Technology, with all it's benefits can still go wrong and although I agree there will be back up systems that doesn't automatically mean the systems will "do the right thing". A different situation I know but take the air liner that crash landed on the Hudson river, would a computer even have considered it let alone achieved it?

[VHG]

With the number of HGVs involved in accidents on motorways I do wonder if some of the HGVs on the road don't have drivers already !

Or are the HGV drivers too busy watching TV or making a sandwich or sending a text !!

[Khandro]

Just think, you will be able to go out to a party, get totally hammered, and (if you can manage it) press "home" on the dashboard and wake up the next morning in you garage!

[Svejk]

^Hopefully, with the engine switched off, khandro. ;)

[Khandro]

^ a good point, but I'm sure they will think of that.

[woofgang]

I suspect that the human will still be considered to be “in charge” of the vehicle and thus the crime of being drunk in charge will still apply.

[TWR]

I was once carrying a load of Reels of paper, one of the Bandag crp tyres blew causing a fire, the load then was covered by sheets, the sheet caught fire in turn causing the reels to set on fire, Fire service called, would a computer detect a fire caused by a blow out on a trailer?

[Khandro]

^I don't know, but the possibilities of a driverless car are quite exciting, for example, commuters can drive to the station and send the car home, thereby saving on parking and maybe the need for a second car, and it can be sent back for their arrival. Ditto at airports.

[RATTER15]

It would be quite feasible for sensors to detect a rise in temerature throughout the vehicle, most likely far before a driver could. I once flagged down a very large coach full of passengers that had flames coming from the underside.

Once the coach stopped the fire ripped through the coach very quickly, nobody on the coach was aware of anything.

[mikey4444]

This is pure pottiness. Even it if could be made 100%, what would be the point.....to make a few lorry drivers redundant ?

Daft.

[Svejk]

The compulorry wouldn't have driven over the big lump of metal, or whatever blew the tyre in the first place, TW. Always alert, see. Not dreaming about their dinner while they slowly catch on fire.

[ToraToraTora]

wont happen TWR. thankfully. Incredibly dangerous.

[woofgang]

like jumbo jets....cars without a man with a red flag in front.....votes for women...