The BBC has reported that a self-driving car developed in America could cut congestion by up to three times. The car was developed by University of California, Riverside’s College of Engineering Center for Environmental Research and Technology (Ce-Cert) and Dotmobil, a French company.
It uses new “drive-by-wire technology” which eliminates human error from driving, a major cause of congestion. The wheels are not connected to the steering wheel; instead the car operates through the use of two cameras and infra-red sensors which function as its “eyes” and through electronic signals that control the steering, acceleration and braking. Cars can communicate to each other through their wireless technology to reduce the risk of traffic jams.
Congestion is not just frustrating but is a major cause of air pollution. The self-driving car could help cut CO2 emissions and other pollutants to make it easier to meet EU regulations on CO2 and air quality.
Matt Barth, from Ce-Cert, told BBC World Service’s Digital Planet; “We have a slow reaction time – a couple of seconds – and we have aggressive behaviour, which causes the stop-and-go action that we often come across,” he said.
“But if vehicles can talk to each other through wireless communication – and you have these control systems that can react more quickly than a human can – then you can smooth out traffic, and potentially get three times the amount of flow compared to a highway with manual drivers.” (BBC.co.uk)
Faye Sunderland
