An anonymous reader tips a story about comments from Ford Motor
Company showing how confident they are in the autonomous car
technology currently in development. They say self-driving cars
will be here within just five years, and that the tech to do so
is available already. They also think these cars will
dramatically affect the flow of traffic. Quoting: "Ford makes
this projection, based on simulator studies: If one in four cars
has Traffic Jam Assist or similar self-driving technologies,
travel times are reduced by 37.5% and delays are reduced by 20%.
In other words, if the freeway part of your rush hour commute
takes 60 minutes, it will drop to 38. That’s because adaptive
cruise control (ACC) is better at pacing the car ahead without
continual brake, speed-up, brake cycles. Here’s how it works:
Stop-and-go ACC keeps pace with the car ahead, using a look-
ahead radar and mirror-mounted camera. Lane keep assist keeps
the car centered, also taking advantage of the camera in the
mirror. Electric power steering