EU Approves Anti-Collision Automobile Radar

Oscar writes "The European Union has approved frequencies for short-range radars that can detect collision dangers and automatically apply cars brakes. The technology should be available by mid-2005. 'Short-range radar can save lives,' said Viviane Reding, the EU commissioner responsible for the decision, which opens radio bands while preventing radio interference to other essential users of these frequencies. Full text of the legislation is available in English, French, and German in PDF format."

Comments

Re:This is how it starts

[g0dsp33d]

Welcome to the world of Minority Report. I wonder if some luxury brands will avoid AI systems to let people choose their own way, and how accepting the general population will become to AI driving?

That's all well and good

[bairy]

But what happens to the car behind you who's too close and doesn't have this system and your car brakes sharply. There's a reason rear view mirrors exist and there's a reason humans drive cars.. because we know what's happening all around, computers don't

Re:That's all well and good

[alienw]

Here's a simple solution to that dilemma: DON'T TAILGATE. I'd be more concerned about the system doing something stupid, like braking on a sharp turn because it sees a tree or a car on the side of the road or something. That would really be dangerous.

This is a disaster in the making

[MerryGoByeBye]

As well as a form of oppression. Now, we will all have to suffer for the stupidity of others. Just like with cell phone bans and draconian drug measures, we pay for a group of complete morons/socioopaths who can't seem to figure out how to live in society.

I wonder where the "acceptable" distance from the car in front will come from? Acceptable for whom? A distance that a young adult can stomach and handle is far outside the scope of your average geriatric. So will we force young people to feel like they're on the Wedway People Mover(TM) or will we just polish off the oldest 5% of the driving populace through heart attacks and strokes? What if you find yourself in a "guillotine" situation that requires either a very inefficient and dangerous deceleration or a sharp accceleration and a cut-through? What if the brakes cut in just as you're changing that lane? I could go on and on.

Sorry, this idea sucks.

Until someone can demonstrate that a computer can out-think (and I mean out-think, not out-calculate) a human, this is ridiculous.

Road surface conditions, context

[degraeve]

It is a particularly bad idea to suddenly apply the brakes if the road is icy. Or if you are in the middle of a turn. Or if you are merging onto a highway.