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Hopefully, a key benefit of autonomous cars is that they optimize speed to minimize jams and improve overall traffic flow. https://keshavsaharia.files.wordpres

by mwadams 12y ago

Hopefully, a key benefit of autonomous cars is that they optimize speed to minimize jams and improve overall traffic flow. https://keshavsaharia.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/traffic-optimization-system.pdf https://keshavsaharia.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/traffic-op... Things like junctions/intersections would be much better managed (we might even be able to make them free-flowing on roads where non-autonomous vehicles were banned).

prawn 12y ago
Like paths of ants crossing over, essentially. I find it a bit amusing that we're having to invent some incredible technologies to overcome our sense of self and resulting selfishness to act like the cooperative insects we often step on without noticing.
deleted 12y ago
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onion2k 12y ago
Assume that you're travelling 100 miles. The first 4 miles are in town, with lots of crossings, lights, etc. The middle 92 miles are on highways with a few turn offs. The final 4 miles are back in town with lights and crossings again. let's assume UK speed limits for everything (30mph in town, 70mph on highways). We'll ignore acceleration. In an autonomous car you can do the speed limit for the entire journey. That's 8 miles at 30mph and 92 miles at 70mph. The journey takes you 95 minutes. In the human-driven car you're slowed to an average of 20mph in town, but on the highway you travel at 85mph because that's what everyone else does. The journey takes you 89 minutes. Obviously the 95 minutes in the autonomous car can be a productive 95 minutes whereas driving yourself you can't do much else for those 89 minutes, which is a huge difference, but until all the cars are autonomous (or there are superfast autonomous lanes at least) then it's probably going to be quicker to drive yourself because to a human a speed limit is a guideline rather than a rule.
- mwadams 12y ago
  Why would the speed limit on the highway be 70mph in a world of autonomous vehicles? Research indicates that a raise in the limit to 80 or 85 mph would be perfectly safe - the only reason for a 70 mph limit is to cope with heavy traffic. http://www.iam.org.uk/media-and-research/policy/our-policies/motorway-speed-limit http://www.iam.org.uk/media-and-research/policy/our-policies...

by mwadams 12y ago

prawn 12y ago

Like paths of ants crossing over, essentially. I find it a bit amusing that we're having to invent some incredible technologies to overcome our sense of self and resulting selfishness to act like the cooperative insects we often step on without noticing.

deleted 12y ago

[deleted]

onion2k 12y ago

Assume that you're travelling 100 miles. The first 4 miles are in town, with lots of crossings, lights, etc. The middle 92 miles are on highways with a few turn offs. The final 4 miles are back in town with lights and crossings again. let's assume UK speed limits for everything (30mph in town, 70mph on highways). We'll ignore acceleration. In an autonomous car you can do the speed limit for the entire journey. That's 8 miles at 30mph and 92 miles at 70mph. The journey takes you 95 minutes. In the human-driven car you're slowed to an average of 20mph in town, but on the highway you travel at 85mph because that's what everyone else does. The journey takes you 89 minutes. Obviously the 95 minutes in the autonomous car can be a productive 95 minutes whereas driving yourself you can't do much else for those 89 minutes, which is a huge difference, but until all the cars are autonomous (or there are superfast autonomous lanes at least) then it's probably going to be quicker to drive yourself because to a human a speed limit is a guideline rather than a rule.

mwadams 12y ago
Why would the speed limit on the highway be 70mph in a world of autonomous vehicles? Research indicates that a raise in the limit to 80 or 85 mph would be perfectly safe - the only reason for a 70 mph limit is to cope with heavy traffic. http://www.iam.org.uk/media-and-research/policy/our-policies/motorway-speed-limit http://www.iam.org.uk/media-and-research/policy/our-policies...