Current Events > just a few self-driving cars make a huge difference for safety and congestion

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/607841/a-single-autonomous-car-has-a-huge-impact-on-alleviating-traffic/

Because fuel use increases when when cars slow down and have to get back up to speed, the presence of the autonomous vehicle also reduces fuel consumption. According to the calculations by the team, in fact, the savings is as much as 40 percent when averaged across all the cars in the traffic flow.

It’s interesting that these improvements can occur even with a single vehicle in a flow of 20 other cars. And it’s also worth noting that the level of autonomy required to have this effect isn’t the kind that Waymo, Uber, and others are seeking to build—it’s more akin to the adaptive cruise control already featured in many higher-end cars. So while we might have to wait a little longer for all of autonomy’s effects to be felt, its ability to reduce traffic congestion could be here rather sooner than we anticipated.
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You will take my steering wheel from my cold dead hands
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I bet you self driving cars will go 5 miles under the speed limit.
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Not interested in my car driving itself off of a cliff
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You will take my steering wheel from my cold dead hands

I dunnoman we still haven't taken reins away from.anyone's cold dead hands.
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Irony posted...

Not interested in my car driving itself off of a cliff

You're more likely to drive off the cliff than a self-driving car.
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Turbam posted...

I bet you self driving cars will go 5 miles under the speed limit.

And yet, everyone will get their destinations faster with self driving cars, especially during rush hour
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chill02 posted...

You will take my steering wheel from my cold dead hands

k


Turbam posted...

I bet you self driving cars will go 5 miles under the speed limit.

good
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SoundNetwork posted...

Turbam posted...

I bet you self driving cars will go 5 miles under the speed limit.

And yet, everyone will get their destinations faster with self driving cars, especially during rush hour

infact what causes the traffic is the prick who wants to go faster than everyone and swerve in and out of lanes

and also pricks who ride tails making it hard for others to change lanes
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Anyway, as someone who has known for more than a decade that using the brake is the single worst thing you can do for your fuel economy, nothing is more irritating than that guy who lets off the gas up ahead of you, which of course results in no lights or anything so you can't realize he did it until you see he's moving more slowly than you are but since he's moving more slowly than you are and you both decelerate at about the same rate, even when you also let off the gas yoi keep inching closer and closer and closer thinking he's gotta stop coasting in a second but he doesn't and it's like dude just tap the gas but they never do it and you end up having to brake.
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darkphoenix181 posted...

and also pricks who ride tails making it hard for others to change lanes

This is the biggest issue. It causes people to unnecessarily brake and braking is what ultimately slows down traffic.
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Asherlee10 posted...

I'm ready for this culture shift. The more we can remove humans from driving, the better.

Yes
YES
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DevsBro posted...

Anyway, as someone who has known for more than a decade that using the brake is the single worst thing you can do for your fuel economy, nothing is more irritating than that guy who lets off the gas up ahead of you, which of course results in no lights or anything so you can't realize he did it until you see he's moving more slowly than you are but since he's moving more slowly than you are and you both decelerate at about the same rate, even when you also let off the gas yoi keep inching closer and closer and closer thinking he's gotta stop coasting in a second but he doesn't and it's like dude just tap the gas but they never do it and you end up having to brake.

? how can you not tell

if I am edging closer to the guy ahead of me it is really easy to tell and I plan ahead of time to switch lanes and pass him

like is this really difficult for other people? I do notice other drivers seem incapable and will literally get on such a dudes tail until they realize he is going slower and they need to change lanes

but I thought realization that your car is approaching was something basic to intelligent humans
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I just want to sleep while I travel.
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? how can you not tell

if I am edging closer to the guy ahead of me it is really easy to tell and I plan ahead of time to switch lanes and pass him

like is this really difficult for other people? I do notice other drivers seem incapable and will literally get on such a dudes tail until they realize he is going slower and they need to change lanes

but I thought realization that your car is approaching was something basic to intelligent humans

First of all there are no lanes in my neighborhood, unless you count the oncoming traffic heading the other way.

Secondly, rush hour traffic prohibits you from.changing lanes whenever you want/need anyway.

And third, like I said, of course you can tell, but there's no recourse for it because he is going to stay slower than you no matter how long you two coast until you hit the brakes.
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DevsBro posted...

First of all there are no lanes in my neighborhood, unless you count the oncoming traffic heading the other way.

Secondly, rush hour traffic prohibits you from.changing lanes whenever you want/need anyway.

And third, like I said, of course you can tell, but there's no recourse for it because he is going to stay slower than you no matter how long you two coast until you hit the brakes.

I see

I imagined a freeway in my head, like a 5 lane freeway and people will just go their speed even if the guy in front is much slower and the lanes on either side is empty and wait until they have to hit their break before they change their lane

idk why they do that
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Turbam posted...

I bet you self driving cars will go 5 miles under the speed limit.

The sooner people learn basic arithmetic and realize that these small changes in MPH create minimal changes in time, the sooner the roads will be safer.
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Jesus take the wheel
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Asherlee10 posted...

The more we can remove humans from driving, the better.

noooooooooooooooo
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Make all cars automatic ASAP please.
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Anyone that can rub 2 brain cells together can figure out that self driving cars are going to be a huge boon to society.
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society is a sham
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DevsBro posted...

I dunnoman we still haven't taken reins away from.anyone's cold dead hands.

no, but we don't allow them to go on the interstate and such
that's how I see it eventually happening. maybe not in our lifetimes, but eventually manually driven cars will only be used in small towns, backroads, and other places where there isn't as huge of a benefit in a self-driving vehicle
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Perhaps but I look forward to my insurance premiums dropping, less waiting in traffic, let concerns of involvement in an accident, spending less on fuel, etc etc etc

Cheaper, faster, safer, and more efficient? but mah steering wheel!

Fuck off with that.
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And honestly, I'd like this taken 5 steps further. Roads should be built with tracks so your self driving car can convert into a personal trolley and make it better still. 80+mpg fuel efficiencies, etc.
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I won't be alive by the time this happens, so I have nothing to worry about, anyhow
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there's no reason why you can't have both autonomous driving and manual control
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chill02 posted...

I won't be alive by the time this happens, so I have nothing to worry about, anyhow

we are single-digit years away from it happening, bruh
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meingott posted...

chill02 posted...

I won't be alive by the time this happens, so I have nothing to worry about, anyhow

we are single-digit years away from it happening, bruh

I don't think I stuttered
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Asherlee10 posted...

I'm ready for this culture shift. The more we can remove humans from driving, the better.

Until I can take a nap or be completely hammered (possibly both) the whole ride, robocars are useless.

I'll keep driving my own car, thanks
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no, but we don't allow them to go on the interstate and such
that's how I see it eventually happening. maybe not in our lifetimes, but eventually manually driven cars will only be used in small towns, backroads, and other places where there isn't as huge of a benefit in a self-driving vehicle

Horses have never been allowed on the Interstate. Perhaps they'll make super freeways that traditional cars can't go on, sure.
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Asherlee10 posted...

I'm ready for this culture shift. The more we can remove humans from driving, the better.

This.

I can't tell you how many days, I have to drive for every fucking person around me because they don't know how or they feel my car has a sign that says "Please hit me!".
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The cars in Cities Skylines are automated, but I've got traffic problems all over the place.
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DevsBro posted...

no, but we don't allow them to go on the interstate and such
that's how I see it eventually happening. maybe not in our lifetimes, but eventually manually driven cars will only be used in small towns, backroads, and other places where there isn't as huge of a benefit in a self-driving vehicle

Horses have never been allowed on the Interstate. Perhaps they'll make super freeways that traditional cars can't go on, sure.

Check the roadmap of your closest interstate. Chances are very good there's an old US highway nearby. Chances are also very good that US highway is mostly deserted.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/US_69_near_Franklin%2C_KS.jpg/800px-US_69_near_Franklin%2C_KS.jpg

Check the roadmap of your closest interstate. Chances are very good there's an old US highway nearby. Chances are also very good that US highway is mostly deserted.

Yep. Unless it's in a fairly populated area, that is.
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MACisBack posted...

Asherlee10 posted...

I'm ready for this culture shift. The more we can remove humans from driving, the better.

This.

I can't tell you how many days, I have to drive for every fucking person around me because they don't know how or they feel my car has a sign that says "Please hit me!".

Yeah, I almost got rear-ended this morning because someone in an SUV was tailgating me while I was approaching a red light. I hate having to not slow down as much in fear of being rear-ended while simultaneously making sure I don't end up rear-ending the person in front of me.
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chill02 posted...

meingott posted...

chill02 posted...

I won't be alive by the time this happens, so I have nothing to worry about, anyhow

we are single-digit years away from it happening, bruh

I don't think I stuttered

<_< are you saying you're going to die soon?
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Antifar posted...

The cars in Cities Skylines are automated, but I've got traffic problems all over the place.

-_-

seriously?
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CableZL posted...

Yeah, I almost got rear-ended this morning because someone in an SUV was tailgating me while I was approaching a red light. I hate having to not slow down as much in fear of being rear-ended while simultaneously making sure I don't end up rear-ending the person in front of me.

I feel you, yesterday some lady on the freeway going 80 decided to lane change where I was, I skidded my car about 10 feet otherwise she would have gone into me pushing me toward slower traffic going 65, I didn't feel like getting killed.

This morning a lady in a prius decided that its okay to cut off a car going faster than her in a different lane, luckily she pulled out of my lane as I lit the horn up and gave her the finger.
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meingott posted...

chill02 posted...

meingott posted...

chill02 posted...

I won't be alive by the time this happens, so I have nothing to worry about, anyhow

we are single-digit years away from it happening, bruh

I don't think I stuttered

<_< are you saying you're going to die soon?

yes
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chill02 posted...

meingott posted...

chill02 posted...

meingott posted...

chill02 posted...

I won't be alive by the time this happens, so I have nothing to worry about, anyhow

we are single-digit years away from it happening, bruh

I don't think I stuttered

<_< are you saying you're going to die soon?

yes

why?
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long story
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chill02 posted...

long story

:( you okay fam?
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no, but thanks for asking
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chill02 posted...

no, but thanks for asking

what's wrong fam?
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DarthAragorn posted...

I'll keep driving my own car, thanks

luckily for society at-large, we don't need everyone to have level 5 autonomous cars to reap the benefits of autonomous cars
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Turbam posted...

I bet you self driving cars will go 5 miles under the speed limit.

And they'll still be faster because there is less time wasted stopped at intersections, or leaving/entering highways, or having to slow down because of an accident, and most red lights / stop signs just won't exist anymore.
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People need to get better at driving, stop being lazy(self driving cars), and respect the rules of the road.

These self driving cars are only going to make people more stupid, they will lose a skill, and it will only make people who can drive or want to drive on their own have higher insurance.

Many others and I earned our drivers license, we enjoy driving and should not be punished because people want to take the lazy way out.
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