Posted on 08/22/2012 5:45:36 AM PDT by crosshairs
Over the next year, U.S. officials and the University of Michigan will fit nearly 3,000 cars, trucks and buses with wireless devices that track other vehicles' speed and location, alert drivers to congestion or change a traffic light to green.
Granted, these cars will not be as chatty as actor David Hasselhoff's talking car KITT in the popular 1980s series "Knight Rider," or the cast of Pixar's animated movie "Cars." But they will warn about potential crashes through loud beeps, flashes or vibrations in the driver's seat.
In fact, "vehicle-to-vehicle" communication might help avoid or reduce the severity of four out of five crashes that occur when the driver is not impaired, U.S. safety regulators said.
"This is a big deal and I think everybody here believes this has a lot of promise," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters on Tuesday at an Ann Arbor, Michigan, event.
"But until we see the data, until the study is complete, we won't know with certainty what promise it really has. A year from now I think we will."
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
I still like Gallagher’s idea, have a dart gun with a flag that says “Stupid” on it. Anytime some driver does something dumb, shoot the dart on their car so it sticks, and then when a car has about 5 or 6 “Stupid” flags on their car, the cop pulls them over.
Oh, great ... now our cars are becoming back seat drivers.
Are they going to put this thing in the back seat?
You want to fine me for talking to my passenger in my truck, but you also want to make me buy a car which TALKS to ME?
KMA....I won’t buy such a vehicle. Time to renew my subscription to Hemmings Motor News for an older car.
Yes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.