If the entire road network was made autonomous, vehicles would communicate with each other to eliminate collisions in almost every instance except system/mechanical failure.ĭriver error is currently responsible for 90% of all vehicle crashes, meaning accidents would potentially drop by the same amount – putting it in line with bus/coach, rail and air travel, which all rank below one casualty for every billion kilometres travelled.Īlongside the self-driving revolution, another development is taking place in the form of electric motors replacing combustion engines. Currently the biggest obstacle to autonomous driving systems is dealing with the unpredictability of people. Safety levels would rise even further – quite drastically too. If their goal is realised it would trigger a revolution in how people view and use personal vehicles.
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In fact the motor industry seems determined to develop full driver autonomy, with numerous companies developing their own self driving technology. Roundabouts will soon be using Intelligent Road Studs to reduce the number of collisions on them, and a new type of liquid speed bump could remove the need to slow down for them if travelling below the speed limit - only working on those travelling too fast.Īs the UK struggles with a pothole epidemic there’s hope too that this problem can be almost eradicated, while at the same time helping to solve the mass waste plastic problem, by using plastic to repair damage and construct entire road surfaces. The road network hasn’t remained stationary either, with new developments and trials rolling out across the country.
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Lane Alerts warn drivers if they are drifting out of lanes brake assist automatically applies the brakes if the vehicle detects an oncoming object and the driver does not react and auto dimming headlights stop drivers being dazzled by high beams. Modern vehicles are now equipped with a variety driver assist systems which help reduce the likelihood of collisions.
The positive side to it all is that driving has never been safer as advances in vehicle design and manufacture have consistently reduced accidents despite the increase in traffic levels. The resulting slow-down of the road network is estimated to have cost the UK economy a massive £37 billion just last year, costing individual drivers over a thousand pounds each in lost time and money.Īll the frustration also leads to poorer road manners, as the more inconsiderate drivers try to force the issue by speeding and tail gating in their hurry to get somewhere quicker than everyone else. Then add the relentless rise in ownership of larger SUV type vehicles taking up even more room, it’s a wonder anyone gets anywhere. This is further exacerbated by the fact its cities and road networks follow ancient pathways and not modern grid systems. This combination of vehicle quantity and relatively small geographical size compared to other countries with a similar population, means that the UK’s roads are overburdened with their volume of traffic. This puts it at nearly three times the global average number of vehicles per person - like most European nations – but well short of the US which has more vehicles than people. Around 1.2 billion vehicles currently reside on planet earth, of which almost 34 million of them are in the UK.