Speed Limit up to 80mph

[90019]

Driverless cars though would be as convenient of the private car is now and would be available for anyone to use.

Really.

Why be restricted by the times of the trains when you could order a driverless car at any time?

Oddly enough, I don't have to order my car and wait for it to arrive, it's sitting outside my house now.

And, since it is, I fancy going out for a drive just now, purely for the fun of driving it. Something I couldn't do with a driverless car.

 

[starrymarkb]

Newer Astras have a speed warning - but it only came in with the facelift (56 plate) - My 05 plate doesn't have it. I do however have a Trip Computer which shows my consumption. I try and aim for an above 40mpg average for cruise (70mphish)

 

[Zoe]

Oddly enough, I don't have to order my car and wait for it to arrive, it's sitting outside my house now.

It is sitting outside doing nothing most of the time though, not a very efficient use of resources.

 

[michael769]

Not really the same, but I looked into insurance with one of the black boxes fitted. It was almost double the price I currently get on my car.

No surprise. Despite what some campaigning organisations would claim speed does not cause most accidents in this country (DfT figures say that speed is involved in only 20% of accidents and even many of those will have other non-speed related factors too).

By far the majority of crashes result for inattention or distractions, and a speed limiter does nothing to address either - something that insurers are well aware of thus their reluctance to support these devices, other than as a marketing gimmick.

 

[starrymarkb]

Of course you'd need a driverless car depot in each town or village. Wouldn't like to have to wait an hour or more for the car to arrive. Would it wait while you did a 10 minute shop with the meter running?

 

[michael769]

It is sitting outside doing nothing most of the time though, not a very efficient use of resources.

But owning said car is probably much cheaper than renting one - so it will be a very good use of his financial resources.

And consider every time you needed a car it would need to be transported to your location, causing pollution in the process. That car sitting in my garage is currently producing 0 pollution.

 

[90019]

It is sitting outside doing nothing most of the time though, not a very efficient use of resources.

The point is, it is there when I want or need to use it. If someone else is using it instead, it's then not there when I want to go somewhere.

But the thing is, if you provide enough capacity for people to have use of a driverless car where and when they need it, you will have to have nearly the same amount of cars anyway, most of which likely spend a lot of their time sitting about doing nothing, just so there's enough of them when demand is high.

 

[Schnellzug]

Driverless cars though would be as convenient of the private car is now and would be available for anyone to use. The concern is that as they would be so convenient people wouldn't want to use public transport. Why be restricted by the times of the trains when you could order a driverless car at any time?

which you can do with a taxi. That only advantage of a driverless taxi would seem to be that you wouldn't have to have a one-sided conversation with the driver, assuming that you'd still have to pay for it.

 

[richw]

Of course you'd need a driverless car depot in each town or village. Wouldn't like to have to wait an hour or more for the car to arrive. Would it wait while you did a 10 minute shop with the meter running?

And what if everyone wanted to use it at the same time? or would it be stationed on my driveway. i'm quite happy having my own car outside ready to go at any point day or night, without having to worry about having the money to pay, knowing my car has enough petrol!
This idea is one of the most deluded ideas i have ever heard!!!!

 

[90019]

But owning said car is probably much cheaper than renting one

By a very long way.
Mind you, because of my age, I don't think anyone will actually rent me a car

 

[radamfi]

There has been little publicity about the parallel proposals to create more 20 mph limits, which is arguably far more significant than the 80 mph proposal. Speed limits in towns are far more important as lower speeds can reduce the severity of injuries suffered by vulnerable road users in accidents, whereas on the motorway you are unlikely to be crashing into a pedestrian or cyclist.

 

[michael769]

which you can do with a taxi. That only advantage of a driverless taxi would seem to be that you wouldn't have to have a one-sided conversation with the driver, assuming that you'd still have to pay for it.

Not to mention not being scared witless as they drive 1in from the bumper of the car in front whilst ranting about the car behind tailgating them!

 

[Greenback]

I'm afraid I have to agree that the idea of huge numbers of driverless car depots, all stocked with sufficient vehicles toe nsure that everyone is able to get one almost instantly even during peak travel periods, is ridiculous!

 

[richw]

By a very long way.
Mind you, because of my age, I don't think anyone will actually rent me a car

Europcar seem to accept the youngest and oldest with a range of 21-75 accepted. most firms are 25-70. needless to say i know due to need to use hire cars frequently, and being 23 Europcar were the only firm that would rent to me

 

[Zoe]

This idea is one of the most deluded ideas i have ever heard!!!!

If it really was deluded then I doubt Dr Baruch from the University of Bradford would even be seriously considering the idea: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11513316

 

[radamfi]

which you can do with a taxi. That only advantage of a driverless taxi would seem to be that you wouldn't have to have a one-sided conversation with the driver, assuming that you'd still have to pay for it.

A driverless taxi should be much cheaper as you don't have to pay the driver. In addition, the fixed costs are spread across more users so it could be cheaper than owning your own car, particularly for low mileage drivers. Town centre parking would no longer be an issue.

 

[richw]

If it really was deluded then I doubt Dr Baruch from the University of Bradford would even be seriously considering the idea: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11513316

He quite clearly is deluded. i stand by my point
"Right i need a car now urgent appointment, How long will my driverless car be? sorry they're all in use everyone in town is out in them"
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

A driverless taxi should be much cheaper as you don't have to pay the driver. In addition, the fixed costs are spread across more users so it could be cheaper than owning your own car, particularly for low mileage drivers. Town centre parking would no longer be an issue.

I do 30000 miles a year, no chance of it being economical financially for me!

 

[T163R]

In France the speed limit on motorways is 130 km/h (80 mph) on normal days and 110 km/h (70 mph) on rainy/foggy days. We're doing quite well, so, why not ?
And I think 100 mph is too fast.

 

[radamfi]

I can certainly see shared driverless vehicles replacing local buses at quiet times such as evenings and Sundays. It would make DRT (demand responsive transport) much more viable.

 

[starrymarkb]

I think the infrasructure needs for a national pod network would be too great.

Plus another question. Having waited 30 mins for a Pod to arrive, the door opens and it's been covered in feaces by the previous chavs. Thats another 30 mins at least for another pod to arrive from the depot

 

[Zoe]

Plus another question. Having waited 30 mins for a Pod to arrive, the door opens and it's been covered in feaces by the previous chavs. Thats another 30 mins at least for another pod to arrive from the depot

The driverless cars could be monitored by CCTV and if any criminal activity was detected the doors would lock and it would drive straight to the police station.

 

[starrymarkb]

So you need a crew to monitor several thousand cars per city? Plus the privacy concerns of CCTV in the car? You arn't really selling this.

 

[radamfi]

I can't see why there would be long waiting times. Even in central London you don't wait a long time for a cab despite horrendous traffic. The fleet would be sufficiently large so that waiting times would be low, but not too large that there would be lots of vehicles doing nothing. Similar concept to working out how many buses or trains are needed for a transport network.

 

[Butts]

In France the speed limit on motorways is 130 km/h (80 mph) on normal days and 110 km/h (70 mph) on rainy/foggy days. We're doing quite well, so, why not ?
And I think 100 mph is too fast.

If you look at the road safety figures for Germany with it's unlimited speeds on autobahns - the casualty figures are only marginally higher than the UK-

5 deaths per 100,000 of population compared to 4 in the UK.

Avoid South Korea at all costs 12 per 100,000 of population

 

[jon0844]

I'm afraid I have to agree that the idea of huge numbers of driverless car depots, all stocked with sufficient vehicles toe nsure that everyone is able to get one almost instantly even during peak travel periods, is ridiculous!

Someone needs to maintain them too - and ensure they're safe and roadworthy, as now the responsibility for safety is placed upon the company providing them.

One or two high-profile accidents would kill them, costing investors all of their money.

So, for that reason, I'm out.

The driverless cars could be monitored by CCTV and if any criminal activity was detected the doors would lock and it would drive straight to the police station.

I've seen Total Recall, the chavs would just grab the control stick and take over control!!

For the record, I can see technology (as shown by Google) being introduced that will create a car that can give far more 'advice' for motorists and warnings, but you'll still have a driver who is expected to be in full control. Everything will be a safety aid, not a means of driving while you sleep or do something else.

Perhaps you could have special roads where cars could switch from manual to automatic, which could be added alongside motorways. That would make sense; sort of - like guided busways but for ordinary vehicles. I just can't see anything else happening as nobody can control the environment to the necessary levels you'd need for a completely safe system.

 

[radamfi]

If you look at the road safety figures for Germany with it's unlimited speeds on autobahns - the casualty figures are only marginally higher than the UK-

5 deaths per 100,000 of population compared to 4 in the UK.

I don't particularly think that safety is the issue regarding the motorway speed limit. The excessive use of oil and CO2 emissions (if you are interested in that) are the main reasons not to increase the speed limit. Crashing at 70 mph or 80 mph is going to be ugly. Increased tax revenue from more petrol purchased could be useful, though.

Exceeding or not exceeding the 30 mph speed limit in towns could make a difference to safety though.

 

[Zoe]

I've seen Total Recall, the chavs would just grab the control stick and take over control!!

Not if the emergency joystick only allowed the vehicle to be moved at speeds of up to 10 mph.

Perhaps you could have special roads where cars could switch from manual to automatic, which could be added alongside motorways. That would make sense; sort of - like guided busways but for ordinary vehicles. I just can't see anything else happening as nobody can control the environment to the necessary levels you'd need for a completely safe system.

Why not just convert existing motorways to driverless operation?

 

[Butts]

I don't particularly think that safety is the issue regarding the motorway speed limit. The excessive use of oil and CO2 emissions (if you are interested in that) are the main reasons not to increase the speed limit. Crashing at 70 mph or 80 mph is going to be ugly. Increased tax revenue from more petrol purchased could be useful, though.

Exceeding or not exceeding the 30 mph speed limit in towns could make a difference to safety though.

I respect your view regarding the environmental issues- however most people simply pay lip service to this.

No Government can claim to have environmental credibility after the introduction of Air Passenger Duty which is just a stealth tax and quite a transparent one at that.

 

[Lampshade]

The 70mph speed limit was imposed on a temporary basis due to road safety standards of the time being pretty much non existant - and 70mph was the 'safe' top speed of the most representative car at the time (1965), the Ford Anglia.

In 2011 we shouldn't be basing our traffic laws on the capabilities of a Ford Anglia, 80mph is a step in the right direction towards common sense motoring.

 

[Schnellzug]

If it really was deluded then I doubt Dr Baruch from the University of Bradford would even be seriously considering the idea: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11513316

I think that just because a Professor considers an idea, that need not necessarily be a recommendation that it's a sensible one.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I don't see, referring to the Herr Doktor's arguments, why this should autmatically be the case?

"They couldn't sell you the experience of driving - but it would cut costs, we wouldn't need so many cars on the road, and there would be fewer accidents.

"I don't believe people would miss driving to their offices. I'd rather read or get on with some work than sit in a traffic jam staring at someone's exhaust pipe."

Why should it mean fewer cars on the road? it may mean fewer cars licensed, but unless he's envisaging that each one would go round picking up passengers - i.e. a bus, - then each one would still carry one person to one specific place, wouldn't it?