[...] It is clear that a significant minority of British drivers put their time and their 'needs' above the safety of other road users and pedestrians. In a few decades, the driverless car will be perfected and the driven car must be made obsolete, preferably by law.
Until then the Government and the insurance industry should take radical steps to help residents of rural and urban communities reclaim their neighbourhoods from the lorries, the lunatics - and those Great British Motorists who like toddlers think they can do what they like, and explode with rage and indignation when questioned about it.
Black boxes compulsory in every vehicle, with improved technology that detects speed limit breaking and careless or aggressive driving.
Insurance companies encouraged to hike premiums immediately and punitively as bad driving is revealed.
Insurance companies obliged to hand over to DVLA and / or police all data that reveals traffic offences and dangerous driving.
Legal framework to allow prosecution and driving bans relating to offences revealed by black boxes.
Legal changes to encourage use of dashcam / helmet-cam / CCTV evidence to prosecute motorists.
Comprehensive review of 30mph speed limits, with local consultations on which should be lowered to 20mph.
Limit revs to 3,000rpm on all vehicles - as condition of passing MOT - to cut noise and dangerous acceleration.
Funding for technology that will limit all vehicles automatically to the local speed limit (and in the case of national speed limits, a safe speed for the road conditions); and will prevent heavy goods vehicles from using inappropriate rural and urban roads.
Source: This is Money
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Subsentient on Sunday August 21 2016, @06:23PM
He wants you to stop ripping off his book.
I think driverless cars should be mandatory, but no monitored Orwellian dystopia, please.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 2) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Sunday August 21 2016, @06:34PM
I think driverless cars should be mandatory, but no monitored Orwellian dystopia, please.
Oh yeah?
Orwell got one thing wrong: his vision of the future is being implemented, but by the private sector, not the state. Somehow the thought of Google driving my car for me doesn't exactly make me warm and fuzzy...
If I have to choose between driving a car that's monitored by state agencies and insurance companies, and letting Google drive the car for me and monitor it too, I'll keep riding my bicycle thank you very much.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday August 21 2016, @07:53PM
You realize that your bicycle will soon be banned from roads that carry driverless cars, for your own safety, of course.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @06:49PM
I think driverless cars should be mandatory
You do realize that you'd be mandating proprietary software for everyone who wants to drive a car, right? Unless the cars run on 100% free software, of course, which we all know they won't. And they will also likely have digital restrictions management and spying 'features'.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 21 2016, @09:18PM
I think driverless cars should be mandatory, but no monitored Orwellian dystopia, please.
Translation: Other people's rights should be trampled to make my life easier, but touch something I care about then you're a dictator.
(Score: 2) by Subsentient on Monday August 22 2016, @04:10PM
That logic doesn't add up. I want driverless cars for the sake of safety. Driverless cars eliminate much of the need for spying. It's not optimal, but it's preferable to spying.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 2) by tangomargarine on Monday August 22 2016, @05:56PM
You underestimate how many reasons they can come up with for spying.
Hey, you know what would be even safer than driverless cars? Banning cars entirely!
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 22 2016, @08:55AM
As a software developer, I find the concept of a driverless car is extremely scary.
Bugs happen all the time, that's why we have backups. Until you can restore your grandma from backup, when she gets hit by a bug (pun intended), don't wish for software bugs driving cars.