Carnage Comming To A Road Near You!

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35737104
Convoys of driverless trucks! what could go wrong?

[bhg481]

"People will die" - not like when humans are driving then?

[mikey4444]

Complete and utter madness !

[TWR]

Stewy, a lot travel by night due to planning + delivery times, just remember, if you've got it, a truck brought it, I can not understand the public's hatred of HGV's, they are safer than any car you have on the road! why? If a truck brakes fail it will come to a stop in a matter of mins no matter what speed 52mph that they are governed to, the trouble with HGVs & the drivers is Inexperience, as I have said before, a young kid of 21 can go for a sweeks trainmg on a EMPTY 40Ft Artic, pass his / her test on a Frid then on Monday drive a 44Tonner, you tell me that's safe & I'll eat straw with a donkey, it's the stysem that's at fault for allowing this to continue, a HGV Driver should start off on a 4>>8 Wheeler to gain experience to handle the HGV & the load, a loaded HGV responds different to an empty one.

[TWR]

Sorry, should be, Stuey

[Svejk]

Be much safer than human drivers. You're a right old Ludd, ttt.

[ToraToraTora]

TWR: do you think that self drive truck convoys are feasible?

[pixie374]

I doubt they'll be safer. Computers go wrong all the time. At least a human has some sense of self-preservation, you have half a hope of them self-correcting if something goes wrong.

[Old_Geezer]

It's not the driverless bit that is the issue. They will eventually be safer than human drivers. It's the long unbroken conveys the rest of the drivers have to deal with. Vehicles should all be single units not wirelessly (or otherwise) chained together

[Svejk]

I'd imagine there will be spaces and they'll travel at night for now.

[Old_Geezer]

Maybe, but the report says that the technology enables vehicles to move in a group, using less fuel, which means there will be minimum braking space between each, in a long chain, when any individual trials have completed.

[TWR]

TTT, No, if you have 5 in a convoy and the 3rd gets Computer malfuctions, can the 4th take evasive action? I doubt it very much, when that convoy exits the motorway who is going to control the flow of traffic on the roundabout that the convoy meets, the only way i can see this working if the delivery point is on the Motorway it self, can you imagine the cost? I will ask AB Member one question, would you fly in a "Pilot less" Plane?

[TWR]

To Add OG, to save fuel company's use every possible thing such as air Spoilers, either on the roof / the back of the cabs, the sides of the trailers, the shape of the trailers, the Governors, we had a device telling you what gear should be used for max efficiency, tyres checked for max usage & less drag, I don't mind change but I doubt this will work.

[ToraToraTora]

cheers TWR, I say let the truckers truck, if they want to move large amounts of frieght then use rail.

[Booldawg]

how will it save fuel? is it due to a 'drafting' effect by travelling so close?

[Old_Geezer]

Yes, the effect of slipstream I assume. Not a good alternative to safety.

As for unpiloted air travel, once it had been in operation for some time and proven itself safer than human pilots then I don't think I'd have any strong objection. After all we already have autopilot functionality. I just ask you lot to beta test it thoroughly first.

[TWR]

OG can you remember the Hudson Flight? that say's it all for me, the day that comes, that's the day I will stop Flying.

[bhg481]

I think aircraft are flown rather more by computers than people realise. No longer does the pilot move the joystick and a wire connected to it operates the flaps, aelerons etc, it tells a computer what he wants the aircraft to do and the computer organises it. The same is true with your car with the ABS system and the throttle control amongst other things.

[TWR]

But the Pilot / Driver is still there "In Case" Bhj.

[TWR]

BHg

[bhg481]

Have a read at this about the Typhoon Eurofighter, where it points out that the airframe is unstable in pitch and yaw, so relies on the computers to be able to fly ie, a pilot couldn't fly it without the computers. There are 4 of these, each with a very high reliability.