Silverbullet wrote:I think it's more like each car communicates with the car in front and behind so it knows where nearby cars are. So the driver can't follow too close and in the event of a crash the car will stop quicker, also useful in thick fog/bad weather. Retrofit? unlikely since the system would need to be able to override the drivers input during a crash.
That is like adaptive cruise control, so you dont get too close to the car in front. The thing I saw used sensors on either side of the car to warn not to change lanes if a car is there. Its activated by putting on the indicator & flashes a warning if it detects a car to the side but doesnt actually affect controls so can be retrofitted.
For several years now I've envisioned a not so distant future where cars communicate with each other & lane sensors so when you go onto a freeway, a true auto pilot takes over. Cars would be evenly spaced & all doing the same speed. As a car enters via an onramp, the other cars in that lane automatically adjust their speed to allow an smooth merge. The effect of all this would be smooth, fast flowing traffic with ZERO accidents.
Imagine that...ZERO accidents!
It would be a condition of entry onto the Freeway network that only cars with autopilots are allowed.
& if you think this is a bit futuristic, its simply an extrapolation of current technology: adaptive cruise control, brake assist, lane change warning
