Last month, we looked into the announcement by technology giant Google that it was to start building its own self-drive car, outlining its vision for a futuristic method of tackling safe driving and traffic management. The cars were initially introduced for “learning, not luxury”, meaning they weren’t intended as playthings for the wealthy; more as research tools for ways in which transportation could be improved in undeveloped areas around the world.
The electrical operation, bubble-shaped design and two passenger limitation will mean the car isn’t likely to be topping best-sellers lists anytime soon, but their role in developing more sustainable and efficient transport methods could be crucial.
Speed Issues
Despite Google sticking by its promise that, initially, the driverless cars will be limited to 25mph, new developments have begun to hint at a different approach. The leading software engineer on the project, Dmitri Dolgov, has explained that a car’s lack of ability to drive at speed would actually make it a danger on the road.
With this in mind, the team behind the vehicles have been working on programming the cars to be able to drive faster – not just up to, but actually beyond the speed limits in place on public roads. Dolgov’s reasoning – that keeping up with cars that are breaking the speed limit – is, in some circumstances, far safer than travelling slowly.
Under the new proposals, the driverless cars would be able to travel up to 10mph over the speed limit, allowing them to maintain the flow of traffic in areas where build-ups and jams are common.
The move is part of Google’s plans to make the driverless cars a more realistic option for use in towns and cities, meaning they will have to be able to comply to Highway Code regulations – including driving at safe speeds.
Although they have been widely tested on highways in America for a few months, Google’s cars won’t be seen on UK roads until early 2015, and will be subject to the same laws regarding speeding as all vehicles in this country are, according to the Department for Transport. However, with over 700,000 miles of testing under their belts already, by the time they reach our shores the driverless Google cars should hopefully have had all the issues ironed out and be ready for UK testing.
Oaks Services are one of the leading providers of car repairs and MOTs across Chertsey, Addlestone, Staines, Walton-on-Thames, and the wider Surrey region. Our expert team have years of experience in the diagnosis and repair of issues with all brakes, clutches, exhausts, gearboxes and more, ensuring that your car is running at the optimum level at all times.
Book your vehicle in for a service or an MOT with Oaks today.
