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Sun 19 Nov 2023 18:26

Autonomous driving light - movilogo

With so many cars are now having options to drive autonomously on motorways, I wonder whether it will make sense to provide an indicator light (like brake light) to make following vehicle aware that it is being driven without active driver input.

When using adaptive cruise control in motorways, I have observed some following drivers get impatient when the car slowly speeds up - they can't wait and overtakes to fill the space between my car and the car I was following. Then my car slows down further to keep the gap - until next impatient driver fills the gap again.

Some drivers tailgate so closely that I can't even see their number plates!

In future, there should be some way of communication across autonomous cars so that one can tell about obstacles ahead via some preset radio frequency.

We may even get autonomous driving lanes and human driving lanes. More useful than bus lanes which remain empty most of the time.

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Sun 19 Nov 2023 18:52

Autonomous driving light - Adampr

I suppose I'd ask to what end. Taking your example, the drivers behind you obviously feel that you are driving too slowly, too far back from the car in front or perhaps in the wrong lane. What would be the benefit of telling them that you had ACC on? You picked the speed, the distance from the car in front and the lane you're driving in.

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Sun 19 Nov 2023 20:09

Autonomous driving light - badbusdriver

What if the car wasn't being driven autonomously, but also wasn't being driven by an ignorant impatient a**e?.

To those drivers it would appear that the car in front was being driven autonomously.

Edited by badbusdriver on 19/11/2023 at 20:10

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Tue 21 Nov 2023 12:03

Autonomous driving light - Manatee

I suppose I'd ask to what end. ... the drivers behind you obviously feel that you are driving too slowly, too far back from the car in front or perhaps in the wrong lane. What would be the benefit of telling them that you had ACC on? ...

The scenario is that they were following you quite happily at your chosen speed until you had to slow for a vehicle ahead. You are picking up speed again, all they have to do is wait as you are sensibly increasing your speed to what it was before.

I drive to make progress, but I do build up to speed gently and I reduce speed gradually for hazards rather than staying on the gas and then braking heavily. People can't seem to cope with this smooth approach. They must enjoy using the extra fuel.

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Mon 20 Nov 2023 00:05

Autonomous driving light - edlithgow

Sounds like my standard UK motorway driving experience. Call me autonomous.

With the extra detail that, since I usually drove in the slow lane, the impatient people only playing leapfrog were lorry drivers.

You could substitute "truck operator" for "staff officer" in the (Australian?) WW1 song.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bahJ1eVOELY

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Mon 20 Nov 2023 09:11

Autonomous driving light - Brit_in_Germany

With a fully functioning autonomous system there would be no need for gaps of any significant size - with the vehicle in front communicating with the vehicle behind, effectively both will brake synchronously. Indeed, there are developments for trucks where they form a chain of connected vehicles to keep the gaps down to save on fuel.

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Mon 20 Nov 2023 09:27

Autonomous driving light - daveyjp

You will always get 'gap fillers' on motorways regardless of whether you drive with adaptive cruise or manually and keep a good distance. Be aware and let them get on with it, such drivers are better off in front,

If the car is accelerating too slowly intervene and speed up yourself, or check the settings and see if the speed of acceleration can be changed.

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Mon 20 Nov 2023 22:37

Autonomous driving light - expat

Indeed, there are developments for trucks where they form a chain of connected vehicles to keep the gaps down to save on fuel.

It is called a road train. One tractor unit with up to 3 trailers. No need for high tech computers. Only to be used by trained drivers with suitable trucks on permitted roads. It needs to be highly regulated.

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Tue 21 Nov 2023 13:03

Autonomous driving light - gordonbennet

Indeed, there are developments for trucks where they form a chain of connected vehicles to keep the gaps down to save on fuel.

What coud possibly go wrong?

We're talking minute quantities potentially saved, compare with the cost and chaos likely to ensue when heavy braking and evasive action are required with the following drivers not having a clue what to to do for the best, only someone who's never driven a truck for any length of time could come up such lunacy.

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Tue 21 Nov 2023 15:41

Autonomous driving light - Andrew-T

Indeed, there are developments for trucks where they form a chain of connected vehicles to keep the gaps down to save on fuel.

It is called a road train. One tractor unit with up to 3 trailers. No need for high tech computers. Only to be used by trained drivers with suitable trucks on permitted roads. It needs to be highly regulated.

I believe they are well established in Oz. Over here 'rural' traffic is denser, with all that implies. It's fairly easy to stop a real train on rails - unless it comes off them of course. A road train has no restraining devices until it hits the Armco, or worse.

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Tue 21 Nov 2023 15:56

Autonomous driving light - gordonbennet

There's barely a junction in the UK that could accommodate an Australian sized road train without a police escort, even some motorway junctions would have to be altered such is the corner cutting such a vehicle would have.

There have been experiments by special order operating two semi trailers behind one tractor unit, back in either the late 70' or early 80's if i recall, used at night on specific routes these utilised two shorter than normal trailers, probably giving a total of no more carrying capacity than a modern extended semi trailer.

I doubt very much if trucks will be allowed to be any longer than is current, have a suspicion weights will increase again at some point, probably to allow for the weights of hybrid batteries, they'll tell us in the propaganda that there will be no exxtra road damage, that will be a big fat lie just like the 2 stage increases from 32 tons on 4 axles to the present 44 tons on 6, which as anyone with their eyes open will have seen already destroy roads in record time.

We already operate higher vehicles than almost anywhere else, volume and weight wise we're as high as we can go in sensible practice.

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Tue 21 Nov 2023 18:19

Autonomous driving light - badbusdriver

I doubt very much if trucks will be allowed to be any longer than is current, have a suspicion weights will increase again at some point, probably to allow for the weights of hybrid batteries, they'll tell us in the propaganda that there will be no exxtra road damage, that will be a big fat lie just like the 2 stage increases from 32 tons on 4 axles to the present 44 tons on 6, which as anyone with their eyes open will have seen already destroy roads in record time.

It is the lack of steering axles rather than the weight that is the problem. If two of the three truck axles steer (which is usually the case unless heavy haulage) and two of the three trailer axles steer (uncommon, but becoming less so?), there shouldn't be too much problems. Currently most triple axle trailers have non steering axles, which causes enormous damage to the road surface at junctions and tight corners.

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Tue 21 Nov 2023 18:30

Autonomous driving light - Andrew-T

<< It is the lack of steering axles rather than the weight that is the problem. If two of the three truck axles steer ... >>

Does anyone watch the videos of Allelys (I think it is) that transport 90-ton steam (or diesel) locos around the country ? Their special vehicles can do all sorts of clever multi-axle steering to get around roundabouts.

Another consideration is loading on some elderly bridges - never mind crumbling road surfaces.

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