Hacker News Reader

Comment by zacharypinter | Hacker News Reader

In the short term, I could easily see the value in a souped up cruise control for driving on interstates. combined with infrared/night vision, this could easily make nighttime driving safer.

Also, this has great potential (though would probably generate a lot of controversy) for drunk driving. Imagine if your car had a safety mode that could watch out for potential accidents and prevent them even with a human driver.

Amazing possibilities ahead.

View on HN

> Imagine if your car had a safety mode that could watch out for potential accidents and prevent them even with a human driver.

Well, if my car would do that I'd certainly drive to the bar more often. I'd want the fully autonomous "drive me home, Jeeves" system though.

If these systems can be trained to learn your habits, you might be surprised to find your car driving you to that spot where you used to see the other girl...

Some cars out today have automated emergency braking systems. There are also assisted cruise control systems that use a variety of techniques for maintaining a safe distance from the car ahead of you, even in low-visibility situations, and sensor systems that will alert you when you start to drift from your lane (or someone starts to drift into yours). Not to mention traction control systems that have been in cars for years...

My car automatically throws on the brakes if it thinks I'm about to hit something (tested accidentally, once, and it stopped me with about one car length to spare.), and my cruise control watches for cars in front of me, so it will go the speed I set, unless there's a slower car in front of me, in which case it leaves a safe distance.

The future is now, man :-)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com