Driverless Lorries And Police Censured Over Abuser

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41046129

More utter madness....... Just to save 2 driver jobs !

[ivor4781]

well they wont fall asleep or be watching a dvd while there driving,i'm all for it,

[dannyk13]

Technology gone mad.What happens if one of these unmanned lorries blows a tyre?

[mikey4444]

Ivor....what happened if the only driver, the one in the first lorry fell asleep ?

[ferlew]

Only just read that myself, and my first thought was....at least they wont be hogging all three lanes on the motorway stopping any other traffic passing.

[Hopkirk]

I don't see how it can save two driver's jobs. There will be a driver in each of the lorries, and even if the test leads to reality the lorries will have to leave the motorway and be manouvered individually later.

[mikey4444]

Hoppy...........so what is the point of this, if all the lorries will have drivers, and these drivers will have to assume full control when the convoy leaves the Motorway ?

[fiction-factory]

Not read the link but I understand the idea here is to save on fuel and reduce carbon emissions due to the reduction in distance and air resistance/turbulence between them

[Old_Geezer]

I think it is to ensure they can drive close together on motorways to make it difficult to reach the exit or spot the road signs.

I'm sure the vehicles will eventually monitor that all is well and take action if something untoward occurs. It's the convoy aspect I'm not keen on.

[fiction-factory]

Do you want our comments on the Watkins paedophile case too mikey as it's in your thread title?

[albaqwerty]

I may be mistaken in understanding what the Chief AA guy was saying about leaving a motorway and signs not being able to be read for exits.
I thought he was talking about other road users not being able to see the signs due to 3 lorries being so close together.

[vulcan42]

If they could join the lorries together and put them on rails away from roads that would make them safer still, oh wait.....

[ToraToraTora]

won't save any jobs, they'll have drivers too according to news this morning. The point as state is that they can save fuel by traveling close. Utter stupidity forming a long road block as it where. What about when they go past a slip road? Many can't merge as it is let alone with 3 trucks nose to tail comming by! what about signs being blocked, utter cobras. What about when they come up to mikey doing 40 in the inside lane are they going to overtake in unison? Radio rental!

[dannyk13]

Why don't they do as the Aussies do and bang two trailers onto one lorry.

[CrapAtCryptics]

There are just so many scenarios you can encounter on the road that even the best programmer cant account for them all.

[Hopkirk]

If there is a problem and the following drivers have to take control, they would have to wake up / put down their dinner / put down their lap top (or whatever) and assume control of a vehicle that is travelling dangerously close to the one in front. The fact they may be asleep at the time is a very likely scenario.

[Hopkirk]

Sod's law states "if it can go wrong it will, with the worst possible outcome"

[vulcan42]

Does anybody know just how much fuel is saved by the second & third vehicle, on a hundred mile journey down the M6 for example?

[jno]

I assume saving on two drivers is just a start. If it works for two it'll work for 22. Entering and leaving motorways will be a problem, as will driving through Cornish lanes, but it looks as though they're dealing with one thing at a time.

[ummmm]

Mikey - what does " And Police Censured Over Abuser" mean?

[mikey4444]

This thread isn't about Paedophiles.

Danny......I think that the famous "road trains" in Oz are used primarily on those long roads across the bush.

But if they were used here, how would they manage to get on and off Motorways, with the small roundabouts and slip roads ?

Even if they managed that, they would still need to be uncoupled, to venture away from the Motorway.