It's Time To Swallow Our Pride And Accept Autonomous Cars
Automation is one of the hot topics right now. CTzens aren’t generally keen on the idea if half the comments you read on the subject are anything to go by. But I think that’s a knee-jerk reaction to a solution that could take a lot of the stress and danger out of one specific type of driving.
Motorways, freeways, autobahn: whatever your road network’s largest corridors are called, they are in isolation things of grace and beauty, crossing hills, valleys, rivers and train tracks to make driving between two places much quicker than it otherwise would be. The drivers who use them, though, have ruined them beyond all recognition.
Traffic jams sometimes happen because people can’t cope with traffic volumes, slowing down too much and getting too close to each other. Traffic can form because someone wasn’t paying attention and had an accident. Jams spring out of nothing just because someone has broken down and everyone wants to take a look.
Even when things are moving, idiots can’t keep their car in one lane, can’t read the road markings and can’t read the traffic ahead. They brake constantly, swerve from lane to lane without indicating, block the middle and outer lanes, sit half a car’s length off the bumper in front, drive on main beam, drive at 45mph, drive at 145mph, cut into small gaps right in front of you, do the same to trucks as they’re slowing down and even cross multiple lanes to swerve off down an exit slip road at the last minute.
This has got to stop. Too many people are either aggressively or pathetically ignorant of the rules of the road, especially when it comes to motorways. For example, traffic on the main carriageway in the UK has the right of way. That’s defined by law. No one has to clear the inside lane for you when you’re coming down a slip road to join it; it’s your job to match your speed and find a safe gap. But the amount of people who in various ways can’t understand or simply can’t manage it is infuriating. These morons are accidents waiting to happen.
The problem, of course, is a combination of a lack of official instruction and a lack of interest. The system simply assumes you’ll read the Highway Code properly, which, of course, almost no one does, and no one who does remembers it anyway (or cares). Everyone simply wants to get where they’re going and to hell with everyone else. There’s just the desire to get in front of as many people as possible regardless of the risk. Mind you, plenty of people don’t even seem to register danger, like the teens you see tearing down the outside lane in their 1.1-litre superminis, foot pinned to the floor and two tyres half-flat. Young or old, eating a burger or falling asleep, far too many people just don’t give a damn.
And you can forget about enforcement of the current laws. There aren’t the numbers of police to do it, in this country at least. Almost everyone will continue to get away with their stupid actions.
That’s why we need automation on motorways. It’s time. The technology is almost, almost ready. Tesla’s Autopilot needs a few more tweaks but it’ll be good enough soon. The likes of Mercedes and Volvo aren’t far behind. Even the latest Golf update brings new autonomous features.
Motorways will be the easiest roads upon which to introduce full computer control, and for all our sakes they need to be cleared of the idiots that have ruined them. Once that happens we can all get where we’re going faster, with less traffic, less stress and no near-misses. Maybe the outside-lane asshats in the Audis will calm down when control is taken away. Maybe people will finally see that it’s not hard to merge from slip roads. Maybe fewer people will die. It can’t come soon enough.
Comments
Who said it was about pride?
I have a very little idea of what the state in UK is actually like so all I can speak about is my country. Here in Greece everyone over the age of 18 can go to a driving school, which after a few classes and a test on driving code, as well as some courses through normal traffic and the associated test, provides a non-professional licence that doesn’t have to be renewed until the age of 65. No regular tests through the years or any constant reevaluation of driving ability. That’s what kills people here the most in my opinion.
How about no
Let me remind you something, fool. THIS WORLD, IS NOT, FOR TERMINATORS.
I 100% support self driving cars, I will never own one though. All of the morons who have caused more than… lets say 3 accidents, need a mandatory one. All self driving cars obey speed limits on every street and the highway, so no morons in the far left (or right) lane doing 10 under.
Autonomous vehicles will happen, there is no avoiding it. It’s just about already here with the Tesla being semi-autonomous, and other vehicles being able to park themselves. Sadly, later in the future they will probably be required. Once the majority of cars on the road have the capability to go anywhere on their own, farther than just staying on 1 road. When that day comes, we will start hearing about bills requiring all cars to be autonomous, and then that will lead to bills that stop the owner from even being able to drive their own car. All because of safety.
I can only hope that that day doesn’t come while I’m still alive.
I completely see your point in this. However…
There are people who cannot afford a brand-new vehicle, not even a base-model. Like me for example. Sht, I can’t afford a 3rd hand vehicle… I’m still driving a car from 1991 that my family bought for my mum 10 years ago for $1000 because I can’t afford to upgrade.
And the thing is, that’s the case for a lot of people. Especially young teens looking buy their first car. They can’t afford to splash out $400 million (exaggeration) on a car with autonomous mode for motorway driving, which means you’re still gonna get young hoons, foot flat in their 1.1 supermini’s, careering down the outside lane - how is an autonomous car gonna cope with that?
That’s not all. What about classic cars? Okay, in general classic car owners are fairly respectable drivers, but being a classic there will still be problems… what happens if it just, you know, stops working, in the outside lane, and the driver can’t find a gap in the traffic to get across to the hard shoulder?
Lastly, a thought just occurred to me now. Maybe cars could have autonomous capabilities retro-fitted after manufacture? Certainly possible with cars with Cruise-control and that emergency braking stuff fitted. Would probably be a simple plug in device that allows it - and a new market for potential software developers. HOWEVER. Probably not really possible with cars from before 2005 AT THE EARLIEST. Which means my 1991 diesel starlet with mechanical fuel injection would still be exempt from autonomy.
I think the truth of the matter is that we will never have fully autonomous motorways, unless you outlaw cars without autonomous capabilities. The thing is, old cars are so ruggedly dependable and easy to fix, that they just keep going, which makes them relatively appealing to anyone looking for a cheap first car. By the time a car featuring autonomous mode drops in price to an affordable level, the electronics will likely have had a battering and will no longer be working properly, and so therefore either autonomous mode won’t work anymore or if it does it could potentially be dangerous to use. (Think how cellphones eventually give up working properly and sometimes stop entirely)
Don’t get me wrong, I actually have nothing against autonomous cars. I just don’t see it as being the future any time soon. I mean fck, once my project car is up and running I intend to drive it till I die… So that’s one driver that will never be autonomous….
I’m okay with letting go of control on all highways and expressways. That’s the boring part of driving. I still want to drive on B-roads and mountain roads. Driver-less cars will be difficult to use in the twisting roads.
Let’s keep driving as something for fun. The chore of driving is automated away.
Also keeping autonomous cars only on highways means that those who can’t afford a new vehicle can still use normal cars. Just that lanes would be dedicated for driverless cars
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