Driverless cars, mph and km/h

[Vierwielen]

The newest top-of-the-range cars are crammed full of gizmos that have "preparation for driverless cars" written all over them. One such gizmo reads speed limit signs and warns you if you exceed the aforementioned limit. Does anybody have experience of using such a gizmo in Ireland where you can travel between km/h zones (RoI) and mph zones (NI) without stopping to change your car's settings.

I know that a "30" sign with no units is "30 mph" and that a "50" sign with "km/h" underneath the "50" is "50 km/h". This is OK for all-Ireland, but if I take the same car to France, how will it know whether a "50" sign in "50 mph" or "50 km/h"?

[JohnnyMo]

I assume the car has a GPS system which will know where it is, & what the speed limit was. It will be anticipating changes in the speed limit but on the look out for any new changes.

I assume these will be reported to HQ & then distributed to the rest of the hive.

[c2R]

Cars I've driven know where you are, what time zone you're in* and whether the juristriction uses miles or km.


*although I suspect that Arizona will always cause problems, with their mix of DST and non DST use depending on where you are and what the time of year is.


As cars become more connected this sort of thing will only improve - we've already gone in the last decade from fixed DVD satnavs, to hard drives being updated from downloadable memory sticks, to connected vehicle systems over 4G and wifi. I think that connectivity and data updates will increase via wireless technology. The vehicles, like your mobile phone, will I'm sure be able to report driving stats, speeds, location, etc. back to the manufacturer, insurer, and anyone else who is interested in return for traffic data, map updates, and speed camera locations and all in realtime before very long.

[Berk]

The newest top-of-the-range cars are crammed full of gizmos that have "preparation for driverless cars" written all over them. One such gizmo reads speed limit signs and warns you if you exceed the aforementioned limit. Does anybody have experience of using such a gizmo in Ireland where you can travel between km/h zones (RoI) and mph zones (NI) without stopping to change your car's settings.

I know that a "30" sign with no units is "30 mph" and that a "50" sign with "km/h" underneath the "50" is "50 km/h". This is OK for all-Ireland, but if I take the same car to France, how will it know whether a "50" sign in "50 mph" or "50 km/h"?

You would assume the software must be able to invoke a ‘country’ function. Otherwise the ‘ll-Ireland’ scenario would definitely cause a problem.

[A9NWIL]

Cars I've driven know where you are, what time zone you're in* and whether the juristriction uses miles or km.


*although I suspect that Arizona will always cause problems, with their mix of DST and non DST use depending on where you are and what the time of year is.


As cars become more connected this sort of thing will only improve - we've already gone in the last decade from fixed DVD satnavs, to hard drives being updated from downloadable memory sticks, to connected vehicle systems over 4G and wifi. I think that connectivity and data updates will increase via wireless technology. The vehicles, like your mobile phone, will I'm sure be able to report driving stats, speeds, location, etc. back to the manufacturer, insurer, and anyone else who is interested in return for traffic data, map updates, and speed camera locations and all in realtime before very long.

Kind of scary that its gone that far in 15-20 years!
My cars wont be doing that sort of stuff in the forseable future, especially one of them thats 19 years old!

[c2R]

Kind of scary that its gone that far in 15-20 years!
My cars wont be doing that sort of stuff in the forseable future, especially one of them thats 19 years old!

The thing is; insurance companies already penalise young drivers who don't have trackers, and make it difficult/impossible to insure high powered vehicles. Cities will increasingly prevent older vehicles with higher pollution levels from entering certain areas. Parts for older vehicles will be more difficult to obtain - not perhaps for "classics" of the 90s and earlier (which will have their own problems re: rust), but in terms of processing units and other tehnical gadgets required to make current cars continue to function. All of that, and scrappage schemes, will I'm sure mean that most people will end up with new cars where this technology will be present, whether they like it or not.

[KeithW]

The newest top-of-the-range cars are crammed full of gizmos that have "preparation for driverless cars" written all over them. One such gizmo reads speed limit signs and warns you if you exceed the aforementioned limit. Does anybody have experience of using such a gizmo in Ireland where you can travel between km/h zones (RoI) and mph zones (NI) without stopping to change your car's settings.

I know that a "30" sign with no units is "30 mph" and that a "50" sign with "km/h" underneath the "50" is "50 km/h". This is OK for all-Ireland, but if I take the same car to France, how will it know whether a "50" sign in "50 mph" or "50 km/h"?

On my Ford it just shows a Speed Limit sign with the number 50 in it. The driver is expected to know which country he is in.

https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/201 ... 5-mph-over

[A9NWIL]

Kind of scary that its gone that far in 15-20 years!
My cars wont be doing that sort of stuff in the forseable future, especially one of them thats 19 years old!

The thing is; insurance companies already penalise young drivers who don't have trackers, and make it difficult/impossible to insure high powered vehicles. Cities will increasingly prevent older vehicles with higher pollution levels from entering certain areas. Parts for older vehicles will be more difficult to obtain - not perhaps for "classics" of the 90s and earlier (which will have their own problems re: rust), but in terms of processing units and other tehnical gadgets required to make current cars continue to function. All of that, and scrappage schemes, will I'm sure mean that most people will end up with new cars where this technology will be present, whether they like it or not.

Well I would let my Citroen C4 Picasso go in a scrappage scheme, but my Skoda, the 19 year old I wouldnt let go for sentimental reasons, even if I have to SORN her and use her in a different way.
Even so I dont plan on driving through central London unless I have to, I know they will likely roll the scheme out to other cities so will have to watch what happens.
Either way I would try and get a vehicle or vehicles that meet the correct euro standards for petrol (I dont think I will bother with Diesel again), but is old enough that I avoid the connected stuff.

[Reading]

Kind of scary that its gone that far in 15-20 years!
My cars wont be doing that sort of stuff in the forseable future, especially one of them thats 19 years old!

The thing is; insurance companies already penalise young drivers who don't have trackers, and make it difficult/impossible to insure high powered vehicles. Cities will increasingly prevent older vehicles with higher pollution levels from entering certain areas. Parts for older vehicles will be more difficult to obtain - not perhaps for "classics" of the 90s and earlier (which will have their own problems re: rust), but in terms of processing units and other tehnical gadgets required to make current cars continue to function. All of that, and scrappage schemes, will I'm sure mean that most people will end up with new cars where this technology will be present, whether they like it or not.

Well I would let my Citroen C4 Picasso go in a scrappage scheme, but my Skoda, the 19 year old I wouldnt let go for sentimental reasons, even if I have to SORN her and use her in a different way.
Even so I dont plan on driving through central London unless I have to, I know they will likely roll the scheme out to other cities so will have to watch what happens.
Either way I would try and get a vehicle or vehicles that meet the correct euro standards for petrol (I dont think I will bother with Diesel again), but is old enough that I avoid the connected stuff.

Well as far as i know anything with "historic vehicle" as it's taxation class is exempt from the ULEZ and that has now started rolling again at 40 years - so if you keep your Skoda long enough you can drive her through London again - along with a really dirty smoky early 70's Landrover etc

[rhyds]

When I had a borrowed Volvo on an event site it would pick up the little 75mm-100mm 5mph site limit roundels from the temporary signage and display the speed limit on the dash. I doubt it knew if it was km/h, mph or parsecs per galactic standard week...

[c2R]

When I had a borrowed Volvo on an event site it would pick up the little 75mm-100mm 5mph site limit roundels from the temporary signage and display the speed limit on the dash. I doubt it knew if it was km/h, mph or parsecs per galactic standard week...

And when you drive it from the A1 to the n1 it will give you an Irish flag on the dash and welcome you to the republic.

[rhyds]

When I had a borrowed Volvo on an event site it would pick up the little 75mm-100mm 5mph site limit roundels from the temporary signage and display the speed limit on the dash. I doubt it knew if it was km/h, mph or parsecs per galactic standard week...

And when you drive it from the A1 to the n1 it will give you an Irish flag on the dash and welcome you to the republic.

The only border I crossed with it was the one in to the People's Republic of Sir Benfro! I only had the use of it for an hour...

[Chris Bertram]

When I had a borrowed Volvo on an event site it would pick up the little 75mm-100mm 5mph site limit roundels from the temporary signage and display the speed limit on the dash. I doubt it knew if it was km/h, mph or parsecs per galactic standard week...

And when you drive it from the A1 to the n1 it will give you an Irish flag on the dash and welcome you to the republic.

Watch it do the hokey-cokey as you move between A3 and N54 and vice versa.

[KeithW]

Well as far as i know anything with "historic vehicle" as it's taxation class is exempt from the ULEZ and that has now started rolling again at 40 years - so if you keep your Skoda long enough you can drive her through London again - along with a really dirty smoky early 70's Landrover etc

Also exempt it seems are agricultural vehicles. I'd love to see Farmer Giles driving his smoky old Fordson tractor through Central London at 5 mph in the rush hour

[trigpoint]

Well as far as i know anything with "historic vehicle" as it's taxation class is exempt from the ULEZ and that has now started rolling again at 40 years - so if you keep your Skoda long enough you can drive her through London again - along with a really dirty smoky early 70's Landrover etc

Also exempt it seems are agricultural vehicles. I'd love to see Farmer Giles driving his smoky old Fordson tractor through Central London at 5 mph in the rush hour

That will be the classic he keeps for fun. His modern tractor is more than capable of 30mph and will easily keep up with London traffic

[Reading]

yes a nice old TVO version.

Of course that does mean you can get a agriculturally reg'd Quad bike fitted with a loud exhaust (agri vehicles are exempt form some of the noise rules) and charge around on it paying neither ULEZ, Congestion charge or VED whilst the old guy with the 30 yo c90 is now going to be paying £12.50 a day to ride it across London

(yes i know Agricultural vehicle reg is meant to only be for vehicles used solely for agriculture/arboriculture etc but you would be amazed how many quads are reg'd in that category

[WHBM]

Turns out the driverless vehicle in Arizona involved in the fatality was exceeding the speed limit.

https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/19/1714 ... ss-arizona

Limit 35, vehicle going 40. Arizona is a Prima Facie state, where going even 1mph over the limit is automatically taken as evidence of Reckless Driving.

If we haven't got that right yet we have a long way to go.

[KeithW]

yes a nice old TVO version.

Of course that does mean you can get a agriculturally reg'd Quad bike fitted with a loud exhaust (agri vehicles are exempt form some of the noise rules) and charge around on it paying neither ULEZ, Congestion charge or VED whilst the old guy with the 30 yo c90 is now going to be paying £12.50 a day to ride it across London

(yes i know Agricultural vehicle reg is meant to only be for vehicles used solely for agriculture/arboriculture etc but you would be amazed how many quads are reg'd in that category

Agricultural quad bikes need to be registered, fitted with number plates and the driver must have the appropriate license however they are only supposed to be used on public roads for short distances, This is usually defined as 'when passing between different areas of land occupied by the same person and does not involve travelling more than a mile on public roads.

[Reading]

Agricultural quad bikes need to be registered, fitted with number plates and the driver must have the appropriate license however they are only supposed to be used on public roads for short distances, This is usually defined as 'when passing between different areas of land occupied by the same person and does not involve travelling more than a mile on public roads.

I know what they are meant to be BUT it is a very hard regulation to enforce and thus a lot of the very loud annoying quads you see/hear on the roads are reg'd as agricultural as i have spoken to some of the riders, a lot of them are gardeners/tree surgeons etc and buy them through their companies.

I grew up on a farm and remember being stopped on a tractor and trailer on the A24 in the late 80's on a tractor with no tax/MOT etc - even though the rule was 3 miles on the public highway before you needed them and even though we were on the very limit of that from our home mr plod had to let us go with simply a producer to procure an orange flashing light as it was a toothless bit of law (no way to prove we hadn't just moved the tractor from a nearby field etc - as an aside i was one of 4 children running up and down the trailer which had no sides on it whilst it travelled at about 20mph down this bit of A24 which was NSL at the time https://goo.gl/maps/W6WuF2eL2Nw there was nothing they could do about that either

EDIT just checked and we were c4miles from home at that point so as i said toothless law - we were also on our way into horsham to collect 9T of fertilizer from the railway sidings (6 1.5t pallets of 50kg sacks) and were then taking it home so about a 12 mile journey all in

[FosseWay]

When I had a borrowed Volvo on an event site it would pick up the little 75mm-100mm 5mph site limit roundels from the temporary signage and display the speed limit on the dash. I doubt it knew if it was km/h, mph or parsecs per galactic standard week...

Will they pick up completely different kinds of speed limit though, e.g. the difference between European roundels and the rectangular US signs that say SPEED LIMIT 35 or whatever? If they're calibrated for one, will they recognise the other?