Intelligent Road Studs 113
Copley writes "The BBC have a short story about 'intelligent' cat's eyes (reflective road studs). I remember reading about the principle of these years ago. It seems that they've reached the real-world trial stage. The whole concept is pretty cool - the studs monitor weather and traffic speeds and change their colour accordingly. As you drive along, rather than see your own headlights reflected, you see a line of active lights indicating what you can expect ahead of you: stationary traffic, ice, etc. As I recall, one idea proposed was for your own car to leave a trail of lights behind it, the length of which related to your speed. The trail thus indicated the 'danger-you-are-too-close-you-moron' zone behind you. Drivers could then avoid driving within another car's trail. Neat idea, but I somehow doubt even the most technical of safety systems is ever going to change the driving habits of some of the brain-dead, tail-gating idiots I often have to share the roads with... Perhaps intelligent road studs with assault weaponry to take out bad drivers would be more useful!"
Major improvement (Score:3, Funny)
I like to think of myself... (Score:4, Funny)
Or something.
i'd like to see them work, but not here (Score:4, Insightful)
An idea who's time... (Score:4, Insightful)
Cars, too, are being designed with more and more impressive technology, many are capable of noticing that you are tailgating, some may even begin to slow the car automatically soon (a system I'd be quick to disable... having the car take over unexpectedly would quickly cause me to froth at the mouth).
If the studs were ever cheap enough per-unit, though, I can imagine all kinds of other uses for them... an array of 'em would make things disappear nicely to a casual glance if they merely changed color to match their surroundings...
Re:An idea who's time... (Score:3, Interesting)
Chips already regulate speeds in cars now. Police Crown Victorias are almost completely stock, just without the 'Guv chip. Automatic trannies have been taking over for years, as well.
Not that any of this is wrong, it's just up to you to decide how much control you want to give up to your car. Me, I'm a control phreak :)
Re:An idea who's time... (Score:2)
Ok, so help me out... how the heck was my post "Redundant?" M2, anyone? :P
Re:An idea who's time... (Score:2)
I take it you've never experienced the joy of an unwarranted down-moderation before?
Doncha just wish /. mods would grow up?
Re:An idea who's time... (Score:5, Informative)
Not even close. Cop Crown Vics get different suspension, transmission, rear-end, wider rims and tires, different headers, a larger fan and radiator, an oversize alternator, 4-wheel disc brakes (stock has drums in back), a more powerful AC compressor, and stiffer springs and shocks. None of these items are stock, and most of them are not available as an option to the public (new from the manufacturer, anyway). If the locale can afford it, other items are available like a small screw-drive motor to crack the hood open from inside the car, a second battery, battery relocation to the trunk, and bumper upgrades. Then of course, you have all the usual cop equipment (lights, radios, cages, etc).
So, no, they don't just have an ungoverned engine.
A good friend of mine used to do final prep on cop cars at a local dealership that cranks out about 1000 cop cars per year.
You forgot one minor thing... (Score:2)
Re:An idea who's time... (Score:3, Interesting)
They all come out of the St. Thomas assembly plant, and all those things (including the lights and cages) can be installed from the factory.
There is no such thing as a gov' chip. It's factory programming in the PCU that determines maximum speed. A s
Re:An idea who's time... (Score:2)
Fix the cigarette lighter.
Re:An idea who's time... (Score:2)
Re:An idea who's time... (Score:2)
Cars, too, are being designed with more and more impressive technology, many are capable of noticing that you are tailgating, some may even begin to slow the car automatically soon
I've always been in favor of Annoyatrons for this kind of enforcement, rather than outright control. You just never know what's going to happen that means your life suddenly depends on defeating the automatics.
If you're trying to get away from car-jackers (or whatever other unlikely scenario; it will doubtless happen to someon
Am I reading this right? (Score:2)
And, of course, for student drivers the automatics could be engaged by default (different key, license rfid, whatever)...
Idiots (Score:5, Funny)
I'm sick of you slowboat assholes lambasting brave souls like me and my fellow tailgaters, who selflessy put ourselves in danger every day to eliminate the wasted space you "safies" use to create those awful traffic jams. We're heros, and we know it, quit oppressing us.
Re:Idiots (Score:1, Funny)
I learned A) people are idiots and assholes. Always. B) never drive during commute hour in Virginia or DC. The drivers are so bad, some insurance companies dropped their coverage of the a
Re:Idiots (Score:1, Redundant)
Tailgating kills people. How's that for a wrench in your humor machine?
Re:Idiots (Score:2, Insightful)
Tailgaters in high end luxury cars... kinda safely (Score:2)
Trail of lights (Score:5, Insightful)
your own car to leave a trail of lights behind it, the length of which related to your speed
Simple design: each light stays on for two seconds after you pass it. This enables drivers behind you to obey the "two second rule". If you come upon lights before they go out, you know you're following too closely.
Re:Trail of lights (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Trail of lights (Score:4, Insightful)
Really though, is counting to two that difficult?
No, but keeping track of the precise spot on the road where the other guy was when you started counting, can be difficult.
Re:Trail of lights (Score:5, Interesting)
The lights might help the ignorant ones, but I doubt it. My best friend's wife tailgates. If there is a car in front of her, she's always under 1/2 car length behind. The speed doesn't matter. I was riding shotgun and a guy in front of her drove on the shoulder to splash her with mud. When he did it the second time, she said, "He's doing that intentionally!" I said, "Maybe he doesn't like being tailgated." "Oh, that's not it," was all she said. Later, she totaled her car in the rain. She ran into the car in front of her. To her, it was their fault for stopping too fast. She still drive the same.
Would these lights make a difference? Probably for a few drivers. Enforcement would help, but on freeways I only see speeding enforced. I've seen people driving so close to a cop car, they are under two seconds behind the car in front to the cop. Yes, he's tailgating too.
Uhm. . .
Rant off!
Re:Trail of lights (Score:1, Funny)
The passive ones suck, though. They
Re:Trail of lights (Score:1)
Re:Trail of lights (Score:1)
Hey Re:Trail of lights (Score:2)
You have to ask? That was you behind me on the way home! Admit it!
Counting to Two (was Re:Trail of lights) (Score:1)
Many drivers apparently can't count to one. I think quite a lot are counting the Roman way: starting from 1, waiting a second, then thinking "2! I'm 2 seconds behind; that's okay then".
Anyway, 2 seconds is only valid at 40mph (according to the UK Highway Code, which admittedly makes conservative assumptions about reaction time and braking force); at 60, you'd need over 2.5 seconds, and 3s at 70.
15 feet behind at 70mph (like the f*ckwit following me this
Re:Trail of lights (Score:2)
Since I got into computers the only numbers I now know are 0 and 1. Does that make me a binary idjit?
Re:Trail of lights (Score:2)
Following distance? We don't need no stinking foll (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Following distance? We don't need no stinking f (Score:2, Interesting)
Yeah, it'll take a few extra minutes, but it's a lot more leisurely drive, most of the time. Since I have very litt
Re:Following distance? We don't need no stinking f (Score:3, Insightful)
I've heard that in some European countries the custom is to only use the right lane (or left if it was the UK) for people that are merging on or off the freeway, making things much safer overall.
Re:Following distance? We don't need no stinking f (Score:1)
Tailgating is, of course, VERY BAD. Other shitty drivers are no justification. Now that I've got that established, I'd like to also mention that 90% of the tailgaters that I see on the road are tailgating because some other idiot is blocking the passing lane.
Being in the passing lane is a RESPONSIBILITY. Look in your rearview mirror. Now that you are in the passing lane, you ar
LIER! (Score:3, Informative)
You lie. I drive 2-3 seconds behind the car in front of me, and cars to not constantly pull in filling the gap. One will here and there, but not constantly. In a 10 mile stretch today it amounted to 3 cars. This in stop an go traffic. That is one reason for the gap: leaving room for others, and those who did switch in front of me stayed in that lane for miles.
The gap has 3 purposes. First, safety, you can't react in under 1.5 seconds, so 2 seconds is minimun time distance. (You can fake it when cl
Re:LIER! (Score:1)
And you had THREE people pull into that space in front of you within 10 miles!?
Re:Following distance? We don't need no stinking f (Score:2, Interesting)
I got a driver's recently (and I'm not that young) and this was one of the first things I noticed. Sometimes I just let car after car cut in in front of me, but recently I've decided that that is mo
Re:Following distance? We don't need no stinking f (Score:4, Interesting)
And eventually I did get used to it. There were so many factors against me on that first trip: never driven on the right before; never driven an automatic before; in a strange car (Taurus) which apparently has no suspension, triggers its ABS at the slightest provocation, feels about 20 feet wide and accelerates like a slug (in spite of its V6 engine); on roads where the freeways are so badly potholed that even the worst, smallest country road in Britain is in better condition; don't know how US traffic systems work; don't know my way around town; and in a town which apparently thinks putting a signpost right on the exit to say "hey, you missed your turn, sucker" is a good method of traffic signing. It was a real thrill ride.
And IN SPITE of all that, at my very worst, with everything conspiring against me, my driving was no worse than what I saw every day from regular Detroit citizens!
Grab.
Re:Following distance? We don't need no stinking f (Score:3, Informative)
Additionally, Detroit has a well-deserved reputation for having some of the worst roads in the country. This is ironic considering how important it's supposed t
Re:Following distance? We don't need no stinking f (Score:2)
Grab.
Re:Following distance? We don't need no stinking f (Score:2)
Given how you described the Taurus, I'd guess not much longer ;-)
Re:Following distance? We don't need no stinking f (Score:4, Interesting)
Everyone at Ford knows the Taurus was a dog - it's not news. The more interesting question (which they're still trying to answer) is how they managed to get the Focus handling so wrong on the US model, when they got it so right on the European version.
On the plus side, check out the Hybrid Escape when it comes out. It's not like earth-shattering performance (hell, it's an SUV, what do you expect?
Grab.
Re:Following distance? We don't need no stinking f (Score:2)
Isn't that more properly referred to as the driving finger?
Re:Following distance? We don't need no stinking f (Score:1)
If everyone left room for people to get in front of them, surprise! everyone would still get where they were going, maybe a minute or so slower.
That site has some interesting ideas I try to implement in real life. Strange thing is, my frustration level goes down, not up, when I apply those principles.
think of the kitties! (Score:4, Funny)
Beware! Road spiders!! (Score:1)
Intelligent Road Studs.... (Score:1)
-Grump
snowplows say no (Score:3, Informative)
So expensive little sensors, they're just snowplow bait. Roads take a tremendous amount of abuse.
Re:snowplows say no (Score:3, Interesting)
Note to the submitter (Score:2, Funny)
I believe we've had those for a while. They're called "mines."
~UP
cat's eyes??? (Score:1)
Light Gravel sprinkle (Score:1)
Re:Light Gravel sprinkle (Score:1)
It makes paint literally peel away that it's been in contact with for any length of time.
Joe Dicksize, with his big gun, just stands there in his driveway scratching his nuts and trying to figure out what happened to his fancy paint job.
Re:Light Gravel sprinkle (Score:2)
Re:Light Gravel sprinkle (Score:1)
Re:Light Gravel sprinkle (Score:1)
fog prone areas (Score:4, Insightful)
No State-Owned Ordinance Required! (Score:4, Funny)
Hmmm. A trunk-mounted proximity detector coupled to a pair of M2s [warships1.com] would be simple enough... wouldn't leave much room for the groceries, though.
it's not the tailgaters (Score:3, Flamebait)
Re:it's not the tailgaters (Score:2)
No, but I have been in the left lane, safely passing traffic, and had someone come up behind me and tail gate me. I do use the left lane for passing, when when I'm doing 70 in a 70 zone, and the guy in the right lane is doing 68 it will take some time to pass. Just relax, as soon as I'm safely around I will get into the right lane and let you by. (Note the safety part, just because my back bumper is by his front bumper doesn't mean it is safe for me to merge)
brain-dead tail-gating idiots (Score:5, Interesting)
Tailgaters are a serious problem for me, as are all the other kinds of "me-first" assholes I have to deal with all day every single work day. I won't even start on drunk drivers (except maybe to point out that Tennessee and Georgia, among others, really need get their acts in gear w/r/t DUI). Thanks to folks like this, car wrecks are a fact of life for me, and there's little I can do to avoid it except take comfort in the fact that my van is heavy enough that it is almost guaranteed to clean house in a fight with most any other car on the road.
What I find most amazing about these people is that absolutely nothing can get them to change their driving habits. Even with the van blinking and flashing like a Christmas tree from Hell and a huge sign on the back warning people to stay the fuck back because of sudden braking and such, a lot of folks still like to ride my bumper.
Only they aren't even riding my bumper, because to get to the bumper you'd have to make it through all the equipment that bristles from the van. Which makes the whole tailgating thing really amazing to me. I don't expect people to know that rear-ending me would result in their being responsible for a six (possibly even seven, depending on what gets broken) digit repair bill, but I do find it amazing that there are so many people who are too stupid to realize that their front bumper is only a few feet away from something they probably can't afford to bang a car into. I'm especially perturbed by the fact that weather conditions don't seem to have much effect on their ability to come to this realization, either
(I also think that most people must be a whole to more rich than me, because there is almost nothing that rolls down the highway that I could afford to bang my car into.)
So yeah, I don't think that these smart cat-eyes will have any noticeable impact on the way people drive.
I can't see the true spirit of friendship and cooperation ever infecting the vast majority of humanity - at least not here in the USA - so I imagine the only thing that would make folks drive in a more sane manner is to create some sort of consistently enforced and difficult to avoid method of punishing bad drivers or rewarding good drivers. Cops and speed traps don't help much because there are very few of them and they generally can't easily catch stuff like tailgating and reckless driving. The only thing I can think of is some sort of omnipresent Big Brother system that can always see every car, at least on major roads.
I'd also like to see better punishments. Speeding tickets hurt a lot if you don't have a whole lot of money, but are little more than a slap on the wrist for other people. I'd rather see something that is directly related to driving (thus keeping a better associating with driving habits, which would hopefully increase the salience of the punishment for behavior-changing purposes). For example, folks who get two moving violations in a year could be banned from using the interstate highway system for 1 or more years.
Re:brain-dead tail-gating idiots (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:brain-dead tail-gating idiots (Score:1)
Many U.S. states have point systems as well. But the system you use doesn't really matter if there is not sufficient enforcement, which seems to be the case in much of the U.S. And if you do catch people and take away their licenses, there needs to be some serious consequences beyond that
Re:brain-dead tail-gating idiots (Score:2)
Re:brain-dead tail-gating idiots (Score:1)
Just think how much Bill Gates would pay for a speeding ticket. That would be a happy day for the Washington state troopers.
Re:brain-dead tail-gating idiots (Score:1)
Re:brain-dead tail-gating idiots (Score:2)
Actually, I love seeing that almost everyone that really complains about interstate drivers are those that have to work on the road. I don't care that you have to work or that truckers, salesmen, or highway repair crews have to work on the interstates all day long.
I got my license, and I c
Re:brain-dead tail-gating idiots (Score:2)
I suppose all the highway quality monitors and road construction workers should change jobs to make room for you to drive like an asshole. Then it would be fun to see you complain that the highways are nothing but a mess of potholes and wonder why nobody is fixing them. Maybe the truckers can quit their job
Re:brain-dead tail-gating idiots (Score:1)
I don't mind folks using the highway; I mind them complaining to those lawmakers because then laws get made that I'm supposed to obey.
Re:brain-dead tail-gating idiots (Score:1)
Re:brain-dead tail-gating idiots (Score:2)
What do you do, swerve to hit all the potholes?
Big Brother system (Score:2)
Cops could certainly go
Road stud trail? (Score:2)
Wouldn't the optimum length of the trail depend on the speed of both the leading and the following car?
Imagine a tractor driving at night on a highway... The road studs light up for a few seconds after it passes, but if a following car is travelling at the speed limit, this may not be enough warning to change lanes.
Re:Road stud trail? (Score:1)
Re:Road stud trail? (Score:2)
Re:Road stud trail? (Score:1)
Re:Road stud trail? (Score:2)
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:5, Interesting)
I prefer to give a good hard hit on the brake pedal to wake them up
At least here in the US, a lot of highway troubles would be eased if everyone would remember that striated traffic flows smoother for everyone, and that you should always have faster cars on your left and slower cars on your right. Unless you're in the process of passing someone, you should never be in the far left lane of a 3-4+ lane highway (well, unless you're going pretty damn fast and you can't see anyone coming in your rearview in that lane, and you're being vigilant about it, in which case you're probably breaking speed laws anyways, but that's an entirely seperate matter).
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:3, Informative)
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:2, Informative)
And yes, I'm talking to you, Mr. "I like to Duel" Semi Driver. Nothing worse than dueling semis on the interstate.
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:1)
They almost always get out of my way.
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:4, Insightful)
I've actually come up with a plan for how to do it to maximize the likelihood of fatality to the SUV-driving tailgater behind me. Here's how it goes:
Disclaimer: make sure they're paying attention if you do this... otherwise they might just hit you without braking at all.
Oh, and yes, I'm a professional bastard. >:-]
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:3, Funny)
The exception being that you're on Route 128 around Boston, and you have a Rhode Island plate, in which case you are expected to move from the on ramp to the far left lane (even when there is no other traffic) and stay there at a stately 50MPH.
A.
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:2)
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:2)
Sure, at either *end*, but what's your point? The electronic sign in Burlington regularly reminds drivers that there is a $100 fine for clogging the left lane.
A.
That's funny. (Score:3, Insightful)
On any freeway, highway, or large motor way I've been, they have large, bold signs saying, "slower traffic keep right " as that's both the entry and exit lane. It makes more sense for the traffic there to be slower.
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:5, Funny)
Ever notice there are two types of drivers? The morons in front of you and the idiots behind you? The morons are going too slow and the idiots are going too fast. Trouble is, to the moron you're an idiot, and to the idiot you're a moron.
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:1)
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:2)
Have you ever noticed? Anybody going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a moron. [brainyquote.com]
- George Carlin
And don't forget Otto West's [imdb.com] famous driving word. [funwavs.com]
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:4, Funny)
I have an even better solution:
I installed oversize discs and drums, plus a vacuum booster and master cylinder from a duece and a half into my 1 ton Suburban.
When idiots tailgate, my truck outstops them in a hurry. Two W5x25 I-beams plus three railroad ties prevents damage to my vehicle. I let them hit, and then I drive off without a scratch, leaving them sitting in a puddle of antifreeze.
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:3, Funny)
Normally, with sudden enough braking, I can punch a hole right through into their engine block without any hassle. Of course, the bumper on my 1968 landrover is a solid chunk of steel spanning the whole width of the vehicle, so small irritants like the headlights,grill and front bumpers of modern vehicles barely scratch the paint off it.
The best part of it is when, after you exchange details, you say "Well, I gotta go... mind putting your foot on your brak
Re:I hate tailgaters (Score:1)