U.S. moving to require cars to talk to each other

[Morris Minor]

We've had a few threads about autonomous cars, so this got my attention earlier this week.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Monday it is taking a first step toward requiring that future cars and light trucks be equipped with technology that enables them to warn each other of potential danger in time to avoid collisions.

More...
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/08/18/nhtsa-car-to-car-communication-warning-technology/14243959/

[SVT666]

Yay.  Let's make drivers and people in general even dumber and less able to assess risk for themselves.  Fuck, we're doomed as a race.

[MexicoCityM3]

Yay.  Let's make drivers and people in general even dumber and less able to assess risk for themselves.  Fuck, we're doomed as a race.

Considering that car accidents kill a lot more people than most other causes, why not do this? It's just another step forward IMO.

[SVT666]

One more reason to not pay attention.

[Soup DeVille]

Ok, what happens when I'm driving an older car? Does it not inform the texting bimbette in the next lane that she's about to hit me?

[veeman]

Good future advancement.  People who have the newer technology will be at a safety advantage compared with those who don't.  Just like anything in terms of safety innovation.  Every year I hear about a zero  visibility fog which suddenly envelopes a mile stretch of a highway and there's a 50 car pile up with 10 deaths.  Or a trucker who falls asleep and pancakes a car in front of him.  If truckers were required to have this, it would be awesome.

[Northlands]

Yay.  Let's make drivers and people in general even dumber and less able to assess risk for themselves.  Fuck, we're doomed as a race.

+1

We are doing a serious disservice to any future drivers. One more reason to sit on your cell phones texting while driving, or whatever else it is that people do instead of driving. All of the tech in the world isn't going to stop the bottom ten percent of drivers the just don't give enough of a shit to either pay attention or use good judgement.

I don't supposed insurance rates will plummet because of this new handy tech.....

[Morris Minor]

If this leads to cars moving off simultaneously on green lights or even does away with traffic lights altogether, I'm interested.

[Soup DeVille]

If this leads to cars moving off simultaneously on green lights or even does away with traffic lights altogether, I'm interested.

That's way far off.

Any autonomous system is going to have to be able to deal with other traffic with or without transponders. Even if if 100% of the cars out there have them, that will still be the case simply for Failsafe purposes.

At this point in time, transponder locating would be a redundant feature for a primary system that doesn't even exist yet.

[12,000 RPM]

I'm looking forward to increased automation in cars. No amount of driver's training or punitive charges will make a serial drunk driver or texter give a fuck. I trust an OEM more than the worst humanity has to offer.

Plus if a drunk driver is barreling through the green light I'm about to drive through, wouldn't be bad to get a heads up. I don't understand what folks are complaining about.

[GoCougs]

This is an awful idea - more government is never a good thing.

[12,000 RPM]

This is an awful idea - more government is never a good thing.

Form your own country

[hotrodalex]

You trust GM?

[12,000 RPM]

You trust GM?

Sure, more than teenagers, drunks and blind octogenarians

[Morris Minor]

I want to see a common standard: a communications protocol that's open, extensible & scalable. And, sorry 'bout this Cougs, mandatory.

[AutobahnSHO]

I want to see a common standard: a communications protocol that's open, extensible & scalable. And, sorry 'bout this Cougs, mandatory.

Put Al Gore on it. The internet seems to work ok

[Soup DeVille]

I'm looking forward to increased automation in cars. No amount of driver's training or punitive charges will make a serial drunk driver or texter give a fuck. I trust an OEM more than the worst humanity has to offer.

Plus if a drunk driver is barreling through the green light I'm about to drive through, wouldn't be bad to get a heads up. I don't understand what folks are complaining about.

It seems premature, that's all. We're years away from any system that could actually utilize such a standard.

[12,000 RPM]

It seems premature, that's all. We're years away from any system that could actually utilize such a standard.

They will kick the ball down the field when the time comes. They just want to get things rolling.

[Morris Minor]

It doesn't have to all happen at once. Just define the standard, & use it to start off with the simple stuff. Baby steps.

[FoMoJo]

It would seem that the technology is already available for an application of this system if it were only to warn of potential problems.  It's not as if they want the vehicle to take over from the driver to avoid a collision.

[Soup DeVille]

They will kick the ball down the field when the time comes. They just want to get things rolling.

And there's a very high possibility that whatever standard adopted now will be inadequate and obsolete before there's anything capable of really using it.

[FoMoJo]

And there's a very high possibility that whatever standard adopted now will be inadequate and obsolete before there's anything capable of really using it.

Depends on the specific requirement.  If it's only to warn of impending collision then it should be pretty straight forward.

[Soup DeVille]

Depends on the specific requirement.  If it's only to warn of impending collision then it should be pretty straight forward.

Not at all.

Any such safety system will bring with it lots of potential liability should it fail to work; and that's on regular cars. Start using it for a system robust enough to work with autonomous cars, and you're asking for serious redundancy   

[FoMoJo]

Not at all.

Any such safety system will bring with it lots of potential liability should it fail to work; and that's on regular cars. Start using it for a system robust enough to work with autonomous cars, and you're asking for serious redundancy   

Will make for an interesting application none-the-less.  Should be okay as long as Toyota doesn't lead the way.  They might have vehicles accelerating into each other .

[Soup DeVille]

Will make for an interesting application none-the-less.  Should be okay as long as Toyota doesn't lead the way.  They might have vehicles accelerating into each other .

I don't know that we should be asking all car buyers to be footing the bill for yet another mandatory feature on their cars until we're entirely sure what we're supposed to be doing with it.

[FoMoJo]

I don't know that we should be asking all car buyers to be footing the bill for yet another mandatory feature on their cars until we're entirely sure what we're supposed to be doing with it.

Do safety features sell cars?  If that's the case, then the manufacturers should foot the bill.

[Soup DeVille]

Do safety features sell cars?  If that's the case, then the manufacturers should foot the bill.

Then why do we need legislation to make it mandatory?

[FoMoJo]

Then why do we need legislation to make it mandatory?

When things make sense and the technology is available then it would seem that most would be in favour of it.  However, that is not how many view it. 

[Soup DeVille]

Look at things like active cruise control, or lane departure warnings, or even experimental things like the google car. They're happening, not because of legal mandates, but because they sell cars; because people want them.

Cars are getting more and more autonomous just fine without being legally required to; and I think that's the model we should follow goin forward.

[FoMoJo]

Look at things like active cruise control, or lane departure warnings, or even experimental things like the google car. They're happening, not because of legal mandates, but because they sell cars; because people want them.

Cars are getting more and more autonomous just fine without being legally required to; and I think that's the model we should follow goin forward.

True.  I don't see this as been much different...cars talking to each other.  If traffic lights are part the conversation, then I can see government involvement.