DRAMatisation: The Brummie Shakespeare's guide to memory
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Dumb cars cost lives, says chip firm
TECHNOLOGY that could make driving safer and more eco-friendly is being held back because of a lack of political will, according to one of the leading manufacturers of vehicle chips.
Steve Wainwright, Freescale general manager for Europe, said technologies such as airbags and anti-lock braking had already helped cut road deaths in Britain from around 8,000 in 1970 to 2,500 in 2009.
That was a great achievement, considering that the number of cars soared over the same period, but it means that on average about 50 people a week are still being killed.
"I read last week that 339 UK soldiers there have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001, which is obviously a tragedy. But in the same period there has been around 20,000 deaths on the road in the UK. It's a challenge to us all but it seems to be something we think we must live with."
The take-up of options on new cars has shown that buyers are more interested in features such as leather seats and alloy wheels that in safety and ecology. This means the market can not be relied upon to drive the change.
Measures like car-to-car communication and radar could reduce vehicle collisions, especially if they were operating within an intelligent transport system (ITS) that could warn of dangers ahead.
The benefits of an ITS extended far beyond safety. It could help you find a parking space, or avoid traffic jams, road works, or poor driving surfaces.
But it could also be used to enforce eco-friendly driving, which would not be universally welcomed. It has been estimated that up to 19 per cent of fuel could be saved simply by taking more efficient routes, and so-called 'eco-driving' to minimise consumption could save an average 11.7 per cent.
Wainwright told the Future World Symposium in London that an ITS will come only when there is the political will to cut road deaths. "The squabble over who is to pay for it will continue unless there is pressure from some outside agency. I understand the social problem. Do we want to be able to drive completely irresponsibly and waste resources? It seems that we do." µ
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Or is it the DUMB people at the wheel of their vehicles? Hummm... Let me think an oh-no second about that one...
"Measures like car-to-car communication and radar could reduce vehicle collisions, especially if they were operating within an intelligent transport system (ITS) that could warn of dangers ahead."
So lets make them so heavy, slow and boringthat no one will WANT to drive them... <insert .
So we have networked cars screaming at each other to get out of the way instead of drivers screaming at each other to get out of the way? And this helps how?
And while "smart systems" on the road may work where it's nice and sunny all the time, toss weather into the mix, and the average witless, cell phone barking / texting, burger munching, book reading, makeup applying, driving twit will seem tame in comparison...
Also, those RF systems for collision avoidance? Yeah... In order for them to be safe for use at such close ranges for long duration exposure, their power output is extremely low. Now toss in rain, sleet & snow and what do you have? A non-functional, false positive collision avoidance system...
I thought that's what we have now with the previously mentioned driving trolls...
I'll pass. Me and my '58 MGA are doing just fine with the basics; watch what you're doing, watch what others aren't doing, back off and take it easy.
The best car insurance is not being a driving troll... And knowing a bit about physics...
The whole F = ma seems to confuse the vast majority of SUV trolls out on the road.
@RW, you are absolutely correct, driving is a pleasure, and also a skills accumulated just like pilot.
@ mike, letting men drive until they are 30 will not make a men better driver, I had seen people over 40 who drive like sissy, and they are blocking the high speed lane of the freeway, drivers like this should be given a designated lane, they can drive as slow as they want, brake as often as they want, slow down as much as they want, and stay out of the lane of the experienced driver.
The only way to make the average drivewr smarter, is to not let men drive untill they're 30.
@ RW, Observer, agree 100% well said. Government needs to stay out of people's lives. Let the consumer choose what he or she wants.
The problem is not with the dumb cars.
Its with the dumb drivers. And the proposed solution is not solving the problems. Its just going to act on making smart drivers dumb. And I feel that this whole affair of making us safe by adding more electronic "helps" into our lives is going to make us all more dumb. See the movie E-Wall and you will know what I am talking about.
I can not get it why they try to kill all pleasure of driving instead of just giving alternatives. Give people who do not like to drive a good alternative transport and these who like it a bit of freedom. Right now more then 90% of cars sold are crap to drive and have electronic babysitters which can not be turned off and for some it's still not enough. :(