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 to Collaboratively Create Authoritative Works by Optimizing the balance between Exclusivity and Openness |
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to Collaboratively Create Authoritative Works by Optimizing the balance between Exclusivity and Openness |
VII to Reduce Accidents and Support Roadtrains
In the US in 2003, 2,600,000 intersection crashes caused 1,300,000 injuries and 9,500 fatalities costing $100 billion of the estimated $230 billion cost of accidents.
Determination that a vehicle is on a collision course can be made using short-range peer-to-peer messaging over a radio network where each vehicle broadcasts its position, velocity and possibly intentions to others in its vicinity. This may be done entirely with small, inexpensive and retrofitted electronic devices paid for by insurance rebates. These would give individualized on-board, eventually throttle linked, acceleration/speed advisories so that intersections are never approached at higher speed unless cleared. With warnings about potential right-of-way violators, intersection collisions should be reduced by a order of magnitude.
As deployment progresses, traffic lights may be eliminated because vehicle-to-vehicle radio data exchange is sufficient to establish right-of-way and would be able to make traffic flow much more smoothly On-board transceivers may be mandated by regional authorities on certain roads as a way to reduce overall costs by eliminating traffic lights. Pedestrian walkways may remain but pedestrians may choose to cross during gaps that arise in the traffic flow. This may prove quite a bit safer because pedestrian lights create a false sense of security. Many injuries and deaths can be attributed to relying on them instead of observing traffic conditions. Children and people who need extra time to cross the road may be provided with radios that communicate with the cars.
Under this régime, arterial speed limits will be dynamic, vehicle specific and much more closely observed than today. Vehicles approaching a red light at speeds above the individualized limit will set off danger alerts for crossing vehicles also approaching the intersection which will cause them to stop even though they have the right of way. Therefore over-acceleration towards red lights must be prohibited. This will also appreciably lower the need for imported oil, reduce brake wear and improve the safety and security of pedestrians, bikers and skaters.
To maximize fuel economy, the algorithms should expect coasting between engine pulses. Idle engine cut-off without over-acceleration will double fuel economy in city drivng without hybrid technology. Idle engine cut-off is simple to implement and such vehicles will have much less complexity, cost and weigh than hybrids. In areas without hills, the fuel economy will be superior to hybrid-electric vehicles chiefly because heavy batteries and electric motors offset the benefits of regenerative braking when used rarely. With individual acceleration limits, regenerative braking would only be useful only on hills and a small minority of highly congested and complicated intersections where it can be necessary to quickly move queue of cars between nearby blocks.
Retrofit transceivers should be similar in size to police radar detectors and could be integrated into the navigation system. They will reduce insurance company liability so that the device cost will be offset in two years or less. It would be reasonable to mandate their use by 2012 if introduced in 2009. Since requiring each car to broadcast position would give more detail on movements than existing programs to track cars based on their license plates, the need for privacy has been widely discussed. It would be possible to mask identities. Whether to do so depends on the tradeoff between apprehending criminals and the potential for abuse of civil liberties.
In order for roadtrain efficiency to be maximized by reducing the weight of follower vehicles, intersection safety must be greatly improved so this stage is a prerequisite for roadtrains that could double city mileage yet again and, by removing a significant barrier to the use of shared vehicles (driver risk), double vehicle occupancy. The combination of smart traffic flow with idle engine cut-off, ridesharing and roadtrains could be expected to decrease fuel consumption per passenger mile eightfold.
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