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There is an easy answer. Put a computer in charge of it (well, okay, we're all mostly software engineers and we all know it's not that easy - but - you get the

There is an easy answer. Put a computer in charge of it (well, okay, we're all mostly software engineers and we all know it's not that easy - but - you get the point). Aggressive driving and tailgating are bad because humans are not capable of making good choices at those distances/speeds. If you could 10x our reaction speed, then those actions would not be as looked down upon (going 6-8 over the speed limit is technically illegal most states, but nobody on the road is going to think you're some kind of maniac). Simple little simulations like this teach us that simple little simulations do not account for reality and the complex nature of the meatbags in control of each vehicle. A more realistic simulator might be able to roll the dice that a driver might not notice an obstacle in time, and crash straight into it - putting more debris and obstacles on the road for every other driver to avoid/crash into[1]. The gains in net flow from have everyone drive like madmen would probably immediately be wiped out from the hour(s) spent getting emergency vehicles onto the scene, redirecting traffic, treating the driver, towing the vehicle, etc. Not to mention that there would almost certainly be multiple scenes down the road - as there usually already are during rush hour - and we already condone this type of behavior! [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubbernecking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubbernecking

sandworm101 8y ago
I'm not sure that the robots will perform much better than humans in terms of traffic flow. Drivers drive. They accept g-forces and such without issue because they are the ones controlling them. But if people aren't doing the driving, if they are chatting on their phones or trying to sleep, they will probably demand a 'smoother' ride. So I think AVs will leave greater distances and accelerate/brake much less aggressively, leading to increased congestion. Accidents do happen, but are actually a very small part of traffic jams. They are the rare case that do cause a big onetime backup but don't play a role in the daily slog. Eliminating every accident would not result in traffic moving appreciably faster on a daily basis.
- Faark 8y ago
  Sure, passengers usually want smooth rides. Software piloted cars could easily achieve this due to more cooperative behavior. E.g. distances to other cars telling you what they intend to do can reduce to that necessary for an emergency break. Maybe a bit more when someone in front of you has set a less stringent g-force limit. This obviously can only work if necessary protocols get adopted. Industry might do it themselves, otherwise passing such regulation should be quite doable... little opposition from voters due to AVs mostly owned by big fleets but a significant prospective quality of life improvement.
- ActorNightly 8y ago
  Even if autonomous cars accelerate and brake less aggressively, they can still clear traffic jams, simply though just communicating with cars further back. Cars would start slowing down something like a mile out gradually to reduce the influx into the jam.

sandworm101 8y ago

I'm not sure that the robots will perform much better than humans in terms of traffic flow. Drivers drive. They accept g-forces and such without issue because they are the ones controlling them. But if people aren't doing the driving, if they are chatting on their phones or trying to sleep, they will probably demand a 'smoother' ride. So I think AVs will leave greater distances and accelerate/brake much less aggressively, leading to increased congestion. Accidents do happen, but are actually a very small part of traffic jams. They are the rare case that do cause a big onetime backup but don't play a role in the daily slog. Eliminating every accident would not result in traffic moving appreciably faster on a daily basis.

Faark 8y ago
Sure, passengers usually want smooth rides. Software piloted cars could easily achieve this due to more cooperative behavior. E.g. distances to other cars telling you what they intend to do can reduce to that necessary for an emergency break. Maybe a bit more when someone in front of you has set a less stringent g-force limit. This obviously can only work if necessary protocols get adopted. Industry might do it themselves, otherwise passing such regulation should be quite doable... little opposition from voters due to AVs mostly owned by big fleets but a significant prospective quality of life improvement.
ActorNightly 8y ago
Even if autonomous cars accelerate and brake less aggressively, they can still clear traffic jams, simply though just communicating with cars further back. Cars would start slowing down something like a mile out gradually to reduce the influx into the jam.