> The tests, which prevented the car from topping 30mph, 40mph and other...
This will also surely resurrect problems that dates back to a much older and
simpler technology--fixed speed governors on cars.
Back in the early 1970's, my father worked in the administrative offices of
a large local utility company. At that time, the US imposed stricter speed
limits to conserve fuel. Thinking the company could set a shining public
example, they decided to install speed governors in the company's fleet of
sedans.
That lasted only a short while as the number of automobile accidents
*increased* within the fleet because of several significant unanticipated
factors. One was that these speed-restricted cars were still having to
interact on the road with non-restricted vehicles--leading to situations
where the restricted vehicle was at a disadvantage on emergency maneuvers
such as accelerating out of danger. The other was that the drivers were used
to driving unrestricted cars, so occasionally made risky driving decisions
momentarily forgetting the restrained capabilities of their company vehicle.
These risks exist in the basic premise of imposing blanket restrictions on
vehicles with no provisions for exceptions based on the actual circumstances
the driver is facing at any moment. Many such technologies cannot be
guaranteed to be sufficiently safe until *everybody* has it and is operating
on equal terms. This new system adds a lot of complexity to merely apply
different governor speeds based on the specific road rather than the fixed
maximum vehicle speed imposed by the old automotive speed governors.
Imagine being on a long downhill expressway with several large heavy
tractor-trailers bearing down on you at substantially above the speed limit
your vehicle is restricted to? Imagine having a car following you at 50 mph
when you cross into a 40 mph zone and your vehicle is *forced* to reduce
speed. I hope the driver behind you is equally alert and attentive to the
speed limit change!
What I fear from the people so vigorously pushing these technologies is that
such safety risks that were long ago learned will be overlooked or glossed
over. Somehow the new high-tech approach leads people away from realizing
the basic concept is not new and the new solution fails to address or
resolve concept flaws proven in prior low-tech implementations. Not to
mention any new safety risks introduced by the newer implementation.
Sadly, these may not come to light until the first driving fatality or, as
in the case of my father's employer, the statistics of the system in large
scale use show an alarming trend.
Derek Ziglar, Atlanta, GA ["Derek Ziglar" via risks-digest Volume 21, Issue 23]
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