Speeding be gone! System monitors signs, alerts driver
Big Brother is slowly moving behind the wheel of our cars and we appear to be only a few short steps away from losing control of our driving all together. There are groups of respected motorists who have advocated abolishing speed limits all together, insisting that traffic speeds are self-regulating and better controlled by nature and natural selection. But there are definitely times when we would gladly give up a tiny bit of control if it meant keeping traffic congestion from getting out of hand. Automated cars have been tested and with manual overrides can actually be pretty effective in certain situations. Buick's automated highway experiment a decade ago and the countless adaptive cruise control systems on the market today show how useful electronics can be for traffic flow and safety. And now we have a system developed by Siemens VDO that could potentially keep any car cruising along at the posted speed limit so drivers can concentrate on their cell phones well driving, like they should be. (Sarcasm, of course)
Siemens VDO has developed a Traffic Sign Recognition system that will alert drivers if they're driving too fast. A camera will monitor the road ahead for speed limits on traffic signs. As the camera recognizes posted speeds, the information is processed and the driver warned if they are speeding. Not much of a leap to envision this system automatically slowing you down if you don't do it yourself, or even never allowing the vehicle to exceed that posted limit.
If that sounds a bit scary, it probably should. And Siemens VDO predicts it might be here before you know it. Production of this speed monitor system could start in less than two years. A similar system for educational institutions has been under development for some time now, but Siemens sees the automotive industry as a larger force towards getting the system to market. We have as much respect for the law as the next
[Source: Motor Authority]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
PiCASSO 1:41PM (10/16/2006)
Please don't!!!!
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Sean 1:30PM (10/16/2006)
Thankfully I'll never buy a car with that type of stupid technology!
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Brian 1:39PM (10/16/2006)
If people are prevented from speeding, they will simply throw their weight behind measures to raise the speed limits to reasonable numbers.
This isn't the end of the world!
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Dun dada 1:36PM (10/16/2006)
Co-sign!
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Leo 8:58AM (10/17/2006)
yikes, there it goes - soon we will be taken away the right to drive and just use these PODS to get us where we need to go :(
now, a system that can tell you about 1-2 miles in advance of a police officers position, that would be cool and I'd jump in and buy that car. :)
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Steve S 1:50PM (10/16/2006)
It will never happen. If everyone did the speed limit there would be no tickets, with no tickets there would be lost state revenue which states won’t abide. The posted speed has nothing to do with safety compared to revenue generation. An 85MPH on a 3 lane highway is just as safe as 65MPH. If safety was the issue then the max speed of American cars would have been 55MPH for years until recently. It still could be with dealers just setting the max speed for their state. But then as I’ve mentioned it doesn’t really have anything to do about safety.
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Shawn 1:50PM (10/16/2006)
...so does that mean in an accident, the liability is with the software/hardware maker instead of the "driver?" (Since the machine controls the vehicle).
...Let see, how many million accidents do we have on the highways each year?
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Steve 1:56PM (10/16/2006)
Speeding is not dangerous.
Everybody driving the same speed is dangerous.
Ever watch a NASCAR restrictor plate race? Wonder why the crashes are so spectacular?
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Dude 2:12PM (10/16/2006)
This makes more sense in places like Germany where the speed limits on the autobahn can and do change regularly. In the states, this doesn't make as much sense since you generally see the same speed limit on the highways for long stretches.
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Brian 2:16PM (10/16/2006)
NASCAR restrictor plate races have such spectacular crashes because of the game theory side effects. To go fastest, you have to be part of a very long draft line. If you don't participate you have no chance. Therefore every car on the track intentionally lines up in a very dangerous bumper-to-bumper line at 185+ mph. The closer you are to each other, the faster everyone goes.
To win the race you have to be in the front of the line at the end. Pull out of that drafting line and you only have about 1 or 2 seconds before wind resistance forces you back in line or to the back of the line. The only realistic way to pass is with the cooperation with your competitors, who are only going to help you if it helps them as well. If they don't feel like helping you then you have to force your way back into the line, you hit the back of somebody, somebody hits the back of you, etc. Just a little bump at high speeds can cause a loss of control which is devastating since all the cars are so bunched up.
As you can see, restrictor plate racing has absolutely nothing to do with technology-enforced speed limits. To even suggest it is ignorant.
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Talis 2:37PM (10/16/2006)
This is why I want to buy a mid sixties chevy. No computers, no technology, I can still change my oil...
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/05/09/young-drivers-going-after-grandpa-cars/
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Steve 2:46PM (10/16/2006)
Whoa, Brian. Calm down. I understand how restrictor plate racing works, and I didn't say that it has anything to do with technology enforced speed limits.
What I was trying to imply was that making everybody drive the exact speed limit is dangerous because it makes cars bunch together in groups. If something does happen, it affects a lot more cars because they are so close together.
Kind of like restrictor plate racing, you know? If something happens to a car at the front of the pack, 20+ cars could potentially be affected behind it.
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Toy Yoda 2:59PM (10/16/2006)
If they can get it to the point where computers can drive your car for you, and synchronize with other cars, I would actually like to see that happen.
Imagine in the very distant future, you'd have no more traffic lights, and congestion can be at a minimal. Your overall commute could be cut by a 1/3 or something. You don't mind the commute, because you don't have to pay attention to the bump-and-go traffic. Your car can drive on an alternate route if there was problems up ahead. You can actually read, take a nap, and do other things.
I'd give up control if there was something like what I described. And, I'd go to the race track for my thrills.
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cowboy bob 3:06PM (10/16/2006)
I quit racing before the restrictor plate was implemented, and as far as racing is concerned, I will tell you only one thing. Plate, or no plate, every guy on that racetrack wants to be in front of you. Period. Now, sometimes I see the same thing on the highway. No matter how fast you are going, no matter if there is a double solid or not, Traffic or no traffic, rain, sleet, snow or sunshine, somebody will not stay behind you. One way or another, they will pass. Soooooooo, as far as this technology goes, good luck with that.
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gs 9:18AM (10/17/2006)
Just another attempt to over regulate the lives people. It's just another form of totalitarianism.
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smooth sailin 6:26PM (10/16/2006)
stopping speeding is easy!Put a speed governor on a repeat offender's registered automobile that limits the top end to 65 mph!
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Corey W. 8:10PM (10/16/2006)
"Not much of a leap to envision this system automatically slowing you down if you don't do it yourself, or even never allowing the vehicle to exceed that posted limit."
Will never happen.... we already have the technology for this, it's never been done and never will. If the baby step goal of limiting all cars to 95MPH isn't there why do you think they would all of a sudden deploy this?!?!?!
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HAL 8:35PM (10/16/2006)
Cars top end speed could be limited electronically based on what street the car is travelling on via GPS also depending on conditions etc.Cars who are not up to safety inspection could be electronically disabled thus preventing dangerous vehicles from posing danger to others.Cars could be commanded to reduce speed via satillite when approaching "men working" areas or when approaching fog banks.
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