How road trains would work
The first real-world test of cars that drive themselves will take place in 2011.
Volvo and half-a-dozen other companies are behind the trial. They hope ‘road trains’ will mean fewer accidents, lower emissions and shorter journey times.
But will drivers be happy to sacrifice their motoring freedom?
The Safe Road Trains for the Environment project – SARTRE – aims to put self-driving cars on our roads within a decade. And they want to do it without having to make expensive changes to the road network – like installing tramlines.
The idea is for cars to travel on motorways in groups called ‘road trains’. They will run on auto-pilot, with the driver taking control of the car once it gets close to its destination. See the images below for more information.
The potential benefits of the scheme are significant:
- Emissions cut by up to 20 per cent – as cars will be accelerating and braking less
- Reduced chance of accidents
- Less congestion, because cars are able to drive clsoer together, meaning shorter journey times
SARTRE could be a blessing for those who think hell is other people’s driving. But others may lament the loss of driving freedom.
Is this a step towards a future where all cars are automatically driven all the time? The idea of going for a drive on an undulating, scenic road just for the fun of it could become extinct.
It’s easy to see how SARTRE’s plans could be realised. Existing technologies such as satnav, cruise control and lane assist could be employed to manage the road trains.
But do drivers want it? Have your say in the comments.
Keith Collantine, expert guide editor
Road trains explained (1)
Road trains explained (2)
Road trains explained (3)
Road trains explained (4)
Road trains explained (5)
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Nice idea, and some cars now come with self parking.
I like the idea, obviously there are a few problems, but the most obvious to me is that if you want to join the “road train” you will have to go faster than it to catch up with it, which is fine if its only going 60 and you can drive at 70, but who wants to sit at 60 on the motorway for hours, and of course if the road train was doing 70, you would have to break the speed limit to catch up with it! And this is going to put a lot more lorries/coaches on the road so how is that good for the enviroment??
what a load of rubish! I wouldn’t put my trust in some idiot at the front of this “train” of Cars no matter who tells me there an experianced driver!!
Good idea, driving on motorways is boring anyway!