Web-based Road Monitoring

James Evans writes "The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are testing a Web-based system for weather forecasting and winter road treatment that could soon save lives, cut costs, and help keep millions of drivers on the move. Highway officials and road crews in Des Moines and Ames, Iowa, will test the Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) February 3 to April 4. The MDSS uses several computer models to project hour-by-hour weather and road conditions up to two days in advance, with an update every three hours."

Comments

I'm not sure if it would be trustworthy

[sirshannon]

I used to live on a mountain and came down several times a week. It would often start snowing while I was off the mountain and I would call the Highway Patrol to ask about the roads. There were 2 highways I could take and, invariably, the Highway Patrol would tell me that both were unsafe and that I should not drive on either.

Luckily, I only took their word for it the first time. I drove a Geo Metro (the only way I could afford the gas with the mileage I was putting on at the time) and never had any problem whatsoever with either highway.

I hope this system doesn't default to "roads are unsafe" or else people will stop bothering to check.