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It seems inevitable that autonomous vehicles will be required to obey speed limits in the future. The question in my mind is will it be the same speed limits as

It seems inevitable that autonomous vehicles will be required to obey speed limits in the future. The question in my mind is will it be the same speed limits as for humans?

tastroder 8y ago
I don't see how that is even a question without 100% autonomy and proven above-human performance, human drivers on the same roads still have to react so different speed limits don't seem to make much sense.
- nightski 8y ago
  Well seeing as you can get a ticket for going at or under the speed limit in some major cities because it is a hazard that might be interesting.
  - perl4ever 8y ago
    I believe the law in NY state uses the phrase "impeding traffic" and doesn't reference the speed limit. So (although I am not a lawyer) I imagine you could violate it whether you were going under, at, or over, the limit.
gambiting 8y ago
Yes, because: 1) I don't believe we'll go "autonomous cars only" for predictable future. I can see that happening on limited set of streets(say, strict city centres), but not overall. Mostly because I think requiring everyone to buy an autonomous car is ridiculous, and then there are cars made even right now that I can totally see people driving in 20/30/50 years from now. We'll always allow manual cars on the road, just like we still allow horses - it just became so rare that in practice it's not an issue to have an animal with no safety features on the road next to modern motor vehicles. 2) there will always be users of the road that cannot be made automous - motorcycles. Unless you believe that motorcycles will be banned, but I don't think that will happen. So yes, I think any speed limits of the future will be set for humans first and foremost. I do look forward to those speed limits to be revised up though - cars are far safer and more efficient at higher speeds than they were few decades ago, and yet speed limits have never been revised to reflect that. US is particularly bad at this, with empty stretches of straight road having a speed limit of 50mph for instance. That should have been fixed years ago.
cesarb 8y ago
We already have different speed limits for different users in some highways (for instance, one major highway near where I live has a limit in some places of 110 km/h for cars and 90 km/h for trucks and buses), so there's precedent. But I believe that, at least initially, speed limits for self-driving vehicles will be lower.

It seems inevitable that autonomous vehicles will be required to obey speed limits in the future. The question in my mind is will it be the same speed limits as for humans?

tastroder 8y ago

I don't see how that is even a question without 100% autonomy and proven above-human performance, human drivers on the same roads still have to react so different speed limits don't seem to make much sense.

nightski 8y ago
Well seeing as you can get a ticket for going at or under the speed limit in some major cities because it is a hazard that might be interesting.
- perl4ever 8y ago
  I believe the law in NY state uses the phrase "impeding traffic" and doesn't reference the speed limit. So (although I am not a lawyer) I imagine you could violate it whether you were going under, at, or over, the limit.

gambiting 8y ago

Yes, because: 1) I don't believe we'll go "autonomous cars only" for predictable future. I can see that happening on limited set of streets(say, strict city centres), but not overall. Mostly because I think requiring everyone to buy an autonomous car is ridiculous, and then there are cars made even right now that I can totally see people driving in 20/30/50 years from now. We'll always allow manual cars on the road, just like we still allow horses - it just became so rare that in practice it's not an issue to have an animal with no safety features on the road next to modern motor vehicles. 2) there will always be users of the road that cannot be made automous - motorcycles. Unless you believe that motorcycles will be banned, but I don't think that will happen. So yes, I think any speed limits of the future will be set for humans first and foremost. I do look forward to those speed limits to be revised up though - cars are far safer and more efficient at higher speeds than they were few decades ago, and yet speed limits have never been revised to reflect that. US is particularly bad at this, with empty stretches of straight road having a speed limit of 50mph for instance. That should have been fixed years ago.

cesarb 8y ago

We already have different speed limits for different users in some highways (for instance, one major highway near where I live has a limit in some places of 110 km/h for cars and 90 km/h for trucks and buses), so there's precedent. But I believe that, at least initially, speed limits for self-driving vehicles will be lower.