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Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
Italian Traffic Lights Rigged to Trap Motorists in the Red
Audi Travolution Syncs Car to Traffic Lights (Sadly Not Other Way Around)

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Identity (Metric)
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
I DO NOT WANT this. If other people want to, that's fine. But I do not want this. I prefer to actually drive my car. There are too many scenarios where this wouldn't work for me to be comfortable.
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spcomputing
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
Cool, looks like they found a solution for all of those texting while driving accidents.
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Azraeus
10/05/09

@spcomputing: Approving and hoping it's sarcasm...love it either way
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Barry99705
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
Most likely won't take long to figure out how the lights talk to the cars. "Hey Bob, watch this" SCREEEEEEEEETCH!!!!! As all the cars on the freeway suddenly stop.
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Doug Judson
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
i'd hate to be the person behind the rich idiot who isn't paying attention.
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Doug Judson
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
i'd hate to be the person behind the rich idiot who isn't paying attention.
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Barry99705
10/05/09

@Doug Judson: Who's the bigger idiot, the idiot not paying attention, or the idiot following the first idiot too closely?
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PurpleMonkeyDishwasher:
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
I think they ought to skip this step and move to the next logical area of research; cars that drive themselves. If that's the case, everything will be much more efficient and there's won't even be a need for traffic lights. Cars can just time their passage through intersections so that they do not collide.
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ripfire promoted this comment

ripfire
10/05/09

@PurpleMonkeyDishwasher: That's what I was thinking too, but it would probably give people heart attacks going through an intersection through a swarm of cars without stopping.

Hmm. Maybe that's why future cars don't have windows...
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lostgame
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
Yes, because while my wife is pregnant and in need of a rush to the hospital, we're both going to appreciate it when my car suddenly comes to a halting stop as I'm trying to rush through a light.

Fuck cars.
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Kaiser-Machead
10/05/09

@lostgame: So you would put your (pregnant) wife and yourself in greater danger by rushing through a light, despite the fact that you have no siren or emergency lights to alert people at the intersection that you're about to run by? Good plan!
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HonusWScruggs
10/05/09

@Kaiser-Machead: Luckily, since not everyone lives in the middle of a large city, what he said isn't as idiotic as you imply. In many rural areas there are signals that can be approached cautiously while observing the intersecting road, and then passed through in perfect safety.
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ripfire
10/05/09

@HonusWScruggs: His words were "trying to rush through a light".

I don't think that's anywhere near "approached cautiously".
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HonusWScruggs
10/05/09

@ripfire: Okay. But just to be clear, is my underlying point that 'just because it's always easy to find ways to mock people doesn't mean everyone's an idiot' invalidated by your choosing to ignore that anything short of waiting out the complete term of the red signal could easily be considered "rushing through the light"?
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ripfire
10/05/09

@HonusWScruggs: The easiest, legal, and "Safest" thing to do is to call 911.

Why make it complicated?
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Kaiser-Machead
10/05/09

@HonusWScruggs: I remember driving through the backwoods of Minnesota a few times, and have come across these intersections, which are generally easy to cross early in the morning or very late at night, but rushing through the red light is still never recommended. I've come across spots early in the morning and seen people zip by on bicycles. Sure, they're not everywhere, but if I were to hit one of them while rushing through the light trying to get my wife to a hospital, her urgent situation will not be an adequate excuse for leaving the poor victim laying on the side of the road.
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Edited by Kaiser-Machead at 10/05/09 1:46 PM Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred

Kaiser-Machead
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
I just hope that cars of the future don't all have these wacky watchmen gizmos in them while the only cars free from the most constraining equipment are high end sports cars.
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Edited by Kaiser-Machead at 10/05/09 11:46 AM Kaiser-Machead was starred Kaiser-Machead was unstarred

ripfire
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
The only time I would ever approve of this is when the car can drive itself 100% of the time.
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Hello Mister Walrus
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
I think the commenters are taking this a bit too seriously. This is just a concept and is unlikely to be implemented in a production vehicle. Car companies test hundreds of concepts that never materialize. There's no reason to freak out.
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ripfire
10/05/09

@Hello Mister Walrus: I don't think you know Mercedez as well as you think...
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Edited by ripfire at 10/05/09 11:32 AM ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred

szrimaging
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
As a motorcyclist, I am split on this device. First, it would be nice to not have to worry about someone running the red as I enter the intersection. But, if this applies the brakes too suddenly, I may not have enough (and I did something wrong in this scenario by following too close) to safely stop behind the car.
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Bandit
10/05/09

@szrimaging: You are always required to leave enough distance from your vehicle to the car in front in order to stop quickly even if that car slams on the brakes. If you aren't doing that, you're already putting yourself in danger.
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szrimaging promoted this comment Bandit was starred Bandit was unstarred

szrimaging
10/05/09

@Bandit: You obviously didn't pay attention when I said I was following too close.

That said, some cars can out brake some bikes. So you might judge that you have enough room, when in reality, you don't.
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reddingofish
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
It would ruin the excitement in movie car chases.
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Lizard_King
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
This, as well as other overriding autonomous driving controls ARE DANGEROUS.

The fact is, there are times when driving 80MPH is SAFER than driving the speed limit, and there are times when running a red light is safer than stopping. It's situations like this that cannot be programmed. Do. Not. Want.

BTW, what happens at the flashing red traffic light (equiv. to a stop sign)?
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anexanhume
10/05/09

@Lizard_King: The idea is that if all cars are following a pre-prescribed program, then no car should ever need to run a red light. However, I agree, having a mix of autonomous and non-autonomous cars on the road together is a disaster.
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szrimaging
10/05/09

@anexanhume: Its why freeways should work in theory, but don't in reality. If cars traveled like packets of information, freeways would run much much smoother. But you allow a person to smart making decisions, and all of a sudden it is a traffic jam.
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jepzilla
10/05/09

@Lizard_King: If I could exchange not being able to run a red light for nobody else being able to run a red light, I'd do that. Like airbags that sometimes kill people, they're still way worth it.

In your driving history, can you honestly think of a single time where you said to yourself 'thank god I ran that red light! it prevented a serious accident! I can't. I mean, I could sit around for ever coming up with hypothetical scenarios where this technology would probably cause an accident and harm me. But I have never ever witnessed any of those weird, unlikely scenarios.

On the other hand, I can think of many times I've almost been involved in a serious accident because some asshole ran a red light.
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Lizard_King promoted this comment Edited by jepzilla at 10/05/09 11:48 AM jepzilla was starred jepzilla was unstarred

Lizard_King
10/05/09

@jepzilla: I can think of half a dozen times when I drove through a red light for my own safety. Once was this summer when I looked in my mirrors as I stopped, saw the asshole behind me wasn't stopping, and took the hell off through the empty intersection.... and this was not the only time I've had this happen. Other times involved weird circumstances with traffic rerouting, accidents with cops directing me through manuallly. Hopefully these "smart" intersections would be allowed to be shut off - the blinking-red was a half-facetious comment.

This year I also passed (legally) a slow moving vehicle with a trailer, that sped up (illegally) as I passed, had my speed been limited (like Ford's MyKey) to 80 MPH, I would have had an issue with oncoming traffic.

I would not give up my ability to judge traffic situations and control my vehicle for every scenario that a programmer can envision. I would like a heads up red octagon projected onto the windshield more than this. Alert me, don't assume I have no control of my vehicle.
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jepzilla
10/05/09

@Lizard_King: Well that's what it's about- control. Regardless of actual statistics, nobody likes giving up control; we think being in control makes us safer because we have unrealistic beliefs about our own abilities. That's why people are irrationally afraid of flying too.
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dougr650
10/05/09

@jepzilla: I don't think it's our perception about our own abilities that causes us to fear the loss of control. Having full control over your car should be mandatory. Humans make better decisions than any automatic system. I would hate to be stopped at a red light in the wrong part of any urban area and have the car decide not to let me run the red light when a bunch of guys decide to carjack the Mercedes that they know can't get away.

Planes are a different story, air traffic is a highly controlled environment. There aren't a lot of variables there.
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Lizard_King
10/05/09

@jepzilla: There will quite possibly never be a system in place where ALL vehicles are using this programming, but I do agree with some research into this, automated express lanes on the highway would be great, as well as optional.

No unrealistic beliefs here; I would rather be at the mercy of my driving than a programmer half-way around the world. I'm doing pretty well at this whole driving thing, don't punish me because some other idiots can't stop their vehicles.
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Edited by Lizard_King at 10/05/09 2:55 PM Lizard_King was starred Lizard_King was unstarred

jepzilla
10/05/09

@Lizard_King: Fair enough, but would you rather be at the mercy of my driving, or a programmer half-way around the world? Personally, I'd rather be at the mercy of some programmer half-way around the world than your driving. If history is any indicator, our insurance companies certainly would be.
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Lizard_King
10/05/09

@jepzilla: Honestly, I'd rather that people who need this system to stop to not drive at all. I would rather be at the mercy of your driving - the main point of this discourse is that I do not trust the ability of programming to decipher all situations. When A.I. catches up with Minority Report and the Speed Limit raises accordingly, we might be in agreement.

My insurance company is thrilled with me - 20 years of payments, no claims. They might prefer my driving to that of a computer.
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OCEntertainment
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights
Look, this thing had better be friggin' near perfect before anyone even considers implementing this.

I've been busted by those red light cameras once before. I entered the intersection exactly half a second after the light turned red (according to the data they sent me with the ticket). For that kind of close call, a cop likely would've let me off, since it's hard to judge every light perfectly.

After I got busted by that camera, I started getting a little more nervous around red lights. Until I braked at a red light I wasn't sure about, instead of my usual instinct to take it. Almost took a cop car up the tail pipe. Dude had to swerve to miss me.

So, yes, this thing had better be perfect. I am not interested in getting rear-ended because a robot decided I should stop at this light, and is completely unaware of the jerkwad in the mustang riding my bumper.
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OMG! Ponies!
10/05/09

In reply to Mercedes Prototype Automatically Slams on Brakes at Red Lights

First, the cops get SCMODS. Then, the do this. For the record, let me just say that those officers were wrong.

The light was yellow.
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