[ale] OT - Cars on highways

[jdp at algoloma.com (JD)]

On 07/22/2013 12:33 PM, Greg Clifton wrote:
> Well, Ford and GM have said they will have "autonomous-mobiles" as I call them
> commercially available within 5 years. The hold up will be legal/insurance
> hurdles as the article mentions, not technical issues.
> 
> Technically it should be possible within 5-10 years, just don't pickle your
> liver during the wait ;-)


When I worked for Ford, ... er ... in the early 1990s, they had a system for
high-speed highway driving that would electronically connect lines of cars with
3-18 inches of separation.  They claimed that double the number of vehicles
could travel at 80mph this way than under human control.  Sensors were required
in the road that the vehicles could communicate with, not just between the
vehicles.

Seems like this would be a good first step to safe automatic highway driving.
Cars would go faster, so early adopters would ahve a reason to pay for the
system.  Interstate freeways have a fairly uniform quality level (except I-75
south of Macon),

The 5-10 yrs has been "coming" for 20 yrs. Standards, funding and political will
are needed. It isn't a technology issue at all.

30-40K drivers die every year on roads in the USA. Entire industries have sprung
up around that, including federal departments.

5K people were killed one day in 2001 and entire industries have sprung up
around that, including completely new federal agencies.

Which of these SHOULD get more funding?  Which does?