(http://www.nesmaps.com/maps/SpyHunter/images/SpyHunterArea04image.png)
http://rt.com/usa/car-recording-edr-device-429/
QuoteNearly every car being manufactured right now comes with a little added bonus by way of a tiny recording device nestled under the center console. And if you're looking to keep your driving habits under wraps, you might want to start worrying.
As many as 96 percent of the cars mass-produced in 2013 include event data recorders, or EDRs, yet the existence of these small "black box" surveillance devices are rarely known among the automobile drivers whose data is being collected with every quick turn of the steering wheel.
Despite widespread ignorance of the EDRs, though, they could soon become mandatory. The US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is asking that the installation of EDRs in light passenger vehicles be mandatory starting September 2014, and opponents are already attempting to raise awareness in order to make auto drivers aware that their sudden speed bursts and even seatbelt data is being collected and could be easily shared.
QuoteDepending on the type of EDR, these black boxes can record the speed of a vehicle, the crash force at the moment of impact and an array of other information about the automobile's inner workings.
"It really just takes a snapshot of the event," John Giamalvo of Edmunds.com told CBS News.
Other information that can be collected and then shared includes whether or not the car's brake was activated before the crash, the state of the engine and whether the vehicle seat belt was buckled before an incident.
Damn. That is disturbing. Bad enough with the license plate trackings.
http://www.aclu.org/alpr
Fortunately, I take the bus....which is owned by the government......and has 20 cameras watching every angle.
AMERICA: Now with even more Future™!
Within ten years every new car will wirelessly transmit journey data such as your speed at specific times, usage and eventually location, it will also log any cars you pass and tell them that it is passing as well.
Quote from: Faust on July 23, 2013, 03:56:21 PM
Within ten years every new car will wirelessly transmit journey data such as your speed at specific times, usage and eventually location, it will also log any cars you pass and tell them that it is passing as well.
Within 10 years, cars will probably drive themselves. Which would be nice.
Dok,
Could read a book on the way to work, like those assholes in civilized places that have rail.
I am unsure how I feel about black boxes in cars.
We have them in planes, after all. On the other hand, my driving/offroad activities would cause problems.
Also, I notice they're for light vehicles. Would that include SUVs? And why not semis? If any vehicle needs them, it's 18 wheelers.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on July 23, 2013, 03:58:17 PM
Quote from: Faust on July 23, 2013, 03:56:21 PM
Within ten years every new car will wirelessly transmit journey data such as your speed at specific times, usage and eventually location, it will also log any cars you pass and tell them that it is passing as well.
Within 10 years, cars will probably drive themselves. Which would be nice.
Dok,
Could read a book on the way to work, like those assholes in civilized places that have rail.
Maybe twenty for the self driving car. Google have one but they haven't been very successful at making it work cheaply.
One of my colleagues who went off to BMW was describing the above system and how it was going to be used to reduce road deaths, lower insurance for people who drive safely and make it easier to take dangerous drivers off the road.
The wireless nanny design is finished, they are currently getting tenders from different governments (Ireland was a early adopter) to install check posts and gradually add these to all cars.
personally I hate it, but then again I'm also not a very good driver.
yeah, if the google self-driving car takes off (no flying car pun intended), recording your driving data will soon feel like a moot point.
Don't get me wrong, I'd be pissed as hell if I was driving 80 in a 60 and my car was liveblogging it so I just get a ticket in the mail later without a cop ever seeing me.
But I am eagerly anticipating the day when my car drives itself and I can just fuck off and read while I'm sitting in traffic. So go ahead and record my driving speed. As long as it doesn't have a microphone, you can bug my Victrola and VCR while you're at it too.
Quote from: Faust on July 23, 2013, 04:09:45 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on July 23, 2013, 03:58:17 PM
Quote from: Faust on July 23, 2013, 03:56:21 PM
Within ten years every new car will wirelessly transmit journey data such as your speed at specific times, usage and eventually location, it will also log any cars you pass and tell them that it is passing as well.
Within 10 years, cars will probably drive themselves. Which would be nice.
Dok,
Could read a book on the way to work, like those assholes in civilized places that have rail.
Maybe twenty for the self driving car. Google have one but they haven't been very successful at making it work cheaply.
One of my colleagues who went off to BMW was describing the above system and how it was going to be used to reduce road deaths, lower insurance for people who drive safely and make it easier to take dangerous drivers off the road.
The wireless nanny design is finished, they are currently getting tenders from different governments (Ireland was a early adopter) to install check posts and gradually add these to all cars.
personally I hate it, but then again I'm also not a very good driver.
I drive too far, too often. Work for me is a 96 km round trip.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on July 23, 2013, 04:00:00 PM
And why not semis? If any vehicle needs them, it's 18 wheelers.
I have thought about it, and this bit makes me hate the idea.
Because it isn't about safety or even forensics, obviously.
Being poor means that I won't have to worry about such things for another 15 years or so.
Our current car is a 2000 model. We were happy to finally have a car from this century. But it still has manual windows, locks and just a plain stereo. At least that's digital.
I actually don't mind certain aspects of this, after consideration, and here's why. Driving is a public activity. It takes place on public roads and poses a very public danger. We like to think of our cars as extensions of our homes, as private little bubbles that we take with us, but in reality, that isn't the way we interact with the world when we're driving. With that in mind, having monitoring devices that will help tell what really happened after an accident, I don't mind at all. I also don't mind cars that communicate with each other in an attempt to avoid accidents.
However, I do not at all like the idea of a tracking device, or one that will tattle on you if you go over the speed limit or pull a Uey in the wrong place.
Our society is going to have to figure out how to find a balance point where privacy is concerned.
Oh, and I think everyone should have dash cams like they do in Russia.
Quote from: M. Nigel Salt on July 23, 2013, 05:54:39 PM
I actually don't mind certain aspects of this, after consideration, and here's why. Driving is a public activity. It takes place on public roads and poses a very public danger. We like to think of our cars as extensions of our homes, as private little bubbles that we take with us, but in reality, that isn't the way we interact with the world when we're driving. With that in mind, having monitoring devices that will help tell what really happened after an accident, I don't mind at all. I also don't mind cars that communicate with each other in an attempt to avoid accidents.
However, I do not at all like the idea of a tracking device, or one that will tattle on you if you go over the speed limit or pull a Uey in the wrong place.
Our society is going to have to figure out how to find a balance point where privacy is concerned.
Quote from: M. Nigel Salt on July 23, 2013, 05:55:25 PM
Oh, and I think everyone should have dash cams like they do in Russia.
I want car cameras.
Back in '97 this guy clocked my station wagon while attempting to run a red light.
I had a guy behind me who was nice enough to tell the insurance company that I did indeed have the green light.
As far as that goes, we already have all the tracking we need in our cellphones. Cellphone data gets used in trials, so there you go.
Look, If I ever have a chance to own a car that can do 180...I want to. Not around other people, but dammit! :argh!:
It is just too fun to take a turn at twice the speed it's rated for!!!
Quote from: Cramulus on July 23, 2013, 04:12:08 PM
yeah, if the google self-driving car takes off (no flying car pun intended), recording your driving data will soon feel like a moot point.
Don't get me wrong, I'd be pissed as hell if I was driving 80 in a 60 and my car was liveblogging it so I just get a ticket in the mail later without a cop ever seeing me.
But I am eagerly anticipating the day when my car drives itself and I can just fuck off and read while I'm sitting in traffic. So go ahead and record my driving speed. As long as it doesn't have a microphone, you can bug my Victrola and VCR while you're at it too.
You don't have Speed Cameras in America, then? You lucky bastards :argh!:
In town, yeah we do, but we also have highways, a number of which are in states too poor or don't have enough problems to warrant speed cameras. Probably not in California, but I-19, I-10, and I-86 are all fine to do 90 on, if you know where the cops generally hang out.
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on July 24, 2013, 07:56:35 AM
Quote from: Cramulus on July 23, 2013, 04:12:08 PM
yeah, if the google self-driving car takes off (no flying car pun intended), recording your driving data will soon feel like a moot point.
Don't get me wrong, I'd be pissed as hell if I was driving 80 in a 60 and my car was liveblogging it so I just get a ticket in the mail later without a cop ever seeing me.
But I am eagerly anticipating the day when my car drives itself and I can just fuck off and read while I'm sitting in traffic. So go ahead and record my driving speed. As long as it doesn't have a microphone, you can bug my Victrola and VCR while you're at it too.
You don't have Speed Cameras in America, then? You lucky bastards :argh!:
Nope, no speed cameras.
...Last year I was doing 95 to work one day. I thought I was going insanely fast...and then I got passed.
This will be abused in new, interesting and horrible ways.
Quote from: hylierandom, A.D.D. on July 24, 2013, 12:38:46 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on July 24, 2013, 07:56:35 AM
Quote from: Cramulus on July 23, 2013, 04:12:08 PM
yeah, if the google self-driving car takes off (no flying car pun intended), recording your driving data will soon feel like a moot point.
Don't get me wrong, I'd be pissed as hell if I was driving 80 in a 60 and my car was liveblogging it so I just get a ticket in the mail later without a cop ever seeing me.
But I am eagerly anticipating the day when my car drives itself and I can just fuck off and read while I'm sitting in traffic. So go ahead and record my driving speed. As long as it doesn't have a microphone, you can bug my Victrola and VCR while you're at it too.
You don't have Speed Cameras in America, then? You lucky bastards :argh!:
Nope, no speed cameras.
...Last year I was doing 95 to work one day. I thought I was going insanely fast...and then I got passed.
LOL, good old 95mph or, as I like to call it, "time to shift into 4th!" :lulz:
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on July 26, 2013, 09:26:07 AM
Quote from: hylierandom, A.D.D. on July 24, 2013, 12:38:46 PM
Quote from: P3nT4gR4m on July 24, 2013, 07:56:35 AM
Quote from: Cramulus on July 23, 2013, 04:12:08 PM
yeah, if the google self-driving car takes off (no flying car pun intended), recording your driving data will soon feel like a moot point.
Don't get me wrong, I'd be pissed as hell if I was driving 80 in a 60 and my car was liveblogging it so I just get a ticket in the mail later without a cop ever seeing me.
But I am eagerly anticipating the day when my car drives itself and I can just fuck off and read while I'm sitting in traffic. So go ahead and record my driving speed. As long as it doesn't have a microphone, you can bug my Victrola and VCR while you're at it too.
You don't have Speed Cameras in America, then? You lucky bastards :argh!:
Nope, no speed cameras.
...Last year I was doing 95 to work one day. I thought I was going insanely fast...and then I got passed.
LOL, good old 95mph or, as I like to call it, "time to shift into 4th!" :lulz:
Well, I don't have speed-rated tires, so even before the Discord started running horribly, 95 is the fastest I ought to go.
Especially considering we're talking upper-90's temps in the daytime, going over 100 is just asking to have a speed-related blowout.
I did 110 once in this car, but I'm getting more safety-conscious these days.
And I'm trying to find a used stick shift hatchback car for a price I can pay off in three years or less. Looks like that will take a while.
I had one stick shift car in my life, and once I stopped stalling it out, it was outrageously fun to drive.
Manuals aren't that popular over here.
Probably because it's hard to clutch, shift, steer, and eat a cheeseburger all at the same time.
LOL, yeah, the american obsession with automatics had always dumbfounded me until I saw your idea of motorsport. Nascar - like motor racing but with no actual driving involved. I guess being able to control your vehicle isn't so much an issue in the states or something
I wouldn't call an automatic actually driving. The clutch is the majority of the work. Otherwise its just go-kart stop and go peddles.
"Oh look it's a corner, I'll wait until I'm half way round then shift up so I have a bit less torque." said no driver ever
Quote from: Faust on July 26, 2013, 12:48:10 PM
I wouldn't call an automatic actually driving. The clutch is the majority of the work. Otherwise its just go-kart stop and go peddles.
But we in the first world like our luxuries.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on July 26, 2013, 03:11:54 PM
Quote from: Faust on July 26, 2013, 12:48:10 PM
I wouldn't call an automatic actually driving. The clutch is the majority of the work. Otherwise its just go-kart stop and go peddles.
But we in the first world like our luxuries.
I've been driving an automatic car for the last two weeks and while it certainly takes a lot less effort, I couldn't get over feeling like a Shriner.
I can't drive a stick. My brain really can't handle making three limbs do different things all at once.
Quote from: Sita on July 26, 2013, 03:51:03 PM
I can't drive a stick. My brain really can't handle making three limbs do different things all at once.
It's just practice, it's also really really good way of fully appreciating cars, acceleration, breaking time and power.
Too many of us get killed in auto accidents to risk trusting more people to actually be good at driving.
Quote from: Cainad on July 26, 2013, 05:58:38 PM
Too many of us get killed in auto accidents to risk trusting more people to actually be good at driving.
But thats the mad part, you can't get a licence in Europe unless you can drive well with both. It took me three attempts to pass it. Granted It means I beat a system designed to keep terrible drivers like me off the road but I appreciate the principle.
Quote from: Cainad on July 26, 2013, 05:58:38 PM
Too many of us get killed in auto accidents to risk trusting more people to actually be good at driving.
Or maybe the causality runs the other way: Automatics lull the drivers into a dull complacency, which leads to more accidents.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on July 26, 2013, 07:24:14 PM
Quote from: Cainad on July 26, 2013, 05:58:38 PM
Too many of us get killed in auto accidents to risk trusting more people to actually be good at driving.
Or maybe the causality runs the other way: Automatics lull the drivers into a dull complacency, which leads to more accidents.
sounds right.
You have to be aware of your speed to use the clutch properly.
You have to really feel what the car is doing. When I still had stick, I could tell by engine noise and vibration when it was time to shift, no need to look at the spedometer.
It's also damned near impossible to text (FB, PD, etc) and drive while driving stick.
That alone should make the damned things mandatory.
I just like being able to downshift and haul ass when needed...
Allows less engine to do more work, better fuel efficiency...
Also, surprising tailgaters is fun. :evil:
The discord's transmission is slipping badly, I actually have to pay attention to the RPMs and sort of flutter the gas pedal to get it to shift into the right gear, failure to do so causes over heating. This happened today, so I had to turn the heater on to cool the car.
Admittedly, great for relieving my water retention problem, but also very much like driving a mobile sauna in this weather.
It was 97 degrees today.
And the driver's side window is jammed shut, too.
At least the other windows and the moonroof work.
...My ex said "It isn't YOUR car until some part is being held on with coathanger wire."
...That would be the front body panel in this case.
...Shake and bake, the last car someone killed for me, lost a headlight housing on the freeway once.
Fortunately it was intact when I went back to get it.
...The duct tape had come loose...
Quote from: Alty on July 26, 2013, 08:13:28 PM
It's also damned near impossible to text (FB, PD, etc) and drive while driving stick.
That alone should make the damned things mandatory.
Yes, anecdotal - but one of my friends recently started texting while driving,
after switching to stick. His GF's theory was that learning to drive stick made him think he was God or something. We both yelled at him a lot so hopefully he's cut it out.
Full disclaimer: In a civilized country, I wouldn't be allowed to drive. I have crappy reflexes, I'm bad at judging distances, my night vision is shit, and I have a hard time paying attention to all of the things.
I hate driving.
It's the single thing most likely to kill me in the next 40 years, and I can't not do it. It does NOT make me feel better about it when I see people weaving through traffic 30mph faster than everyone else. I used to actually drive the speed limit, but I stopped because people kept doing crazy maneuvers to pass around me. It just wasn't safe.
I also think that if you have a law, it needs to be enforced. Right now, we're in this legal limbo where everybody speeds, so the cops can pull over whoever they want. Since they're not making that decision on the basis of whether or not people are actually breaking the law - what are they deciding that on? Race of the driver and what kind of car you drive. In NYC, the police had an explicit program where they would actively pull over people who "looked Muslim" or were in a Muslim neighborhood, just so they could threaten people into becoming informants "keep tabs on the terrorist Muslim community."
Given the choice, I would much rather have "Driving recklessly" be a crime than "Driving while brown."
I understand some students at a college in Atlanta decided, for shits and giggles, to drive the speed limit in morning rush hour traffic...in a line occupying all available lanes...
I'm not sure if they were charged for doing this... Or shot at.
Yeah I remember that story. It was many years back, they didn't get charged afaik, those were better times :)
Quote from: hylierandom, A.D.D. on July 30, 2013, 12:55:35 PM
I understand some students at a college in Atlanta decided, for shits and giggles, to drive the speed limit in morning rush hour traffic...in a line occupying all available lanes...
I'm not sure if they were charged for doing this... Or shot at.
Hahaha
Our freeways are so overburdened and bottlenecked that it's impossible to get anywhere close to the speed limit during rush hour.
Quote from: M. Nigel Salt on July 30, 2013, 04:37:02 PM
Quote from: hylierandom, A.D.D. on July 30, 2013, 12:55:35 PM
I understand some students at a college in Atlanta decided, for shits and giggles, to drive the speed limit in morning rush hour traffic...in a line occupying all available lanes...
I'm not sure if they were charged for doing this... Or shot at.
Hahaha
Our freeways are so overburdened and bottlenecked that it's impossible to get anywhere close to the speed limit during rush hour.
Ours are, like, metastasizing.
Nobody's realized that every time they widen the damn freeway, more people move out to where the newly-widened freeway takes them...and therefore within (I'm guessing) 2-4 years, the shit will be just as bad as it was.
There's a strip of freeway that (no kidding) is now 14 lanes wide.
So what you have is clumps of congestion.
In between the (appropriate for Houston) clogged arteries, you have people driving at least 5 miles over the speed limit, usually...combined with people weaving in and out at speeds up to and possibly exceeding 100.
...Combine that with trucks losing loads and parts of loads all the time, no turn signals used, potholes, tailgaters and other insane shit ( like this one guy I saw doing jumping jacks in the median of the freeway for no apparent reason ) and you have normal daytime conditions.
Nighttime conditions? It's just safer to assume everyone you are sharing the freeway with is drunk.
14 lanes? No shit?
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on July 31, 2013, 05:50:06 PM
14 lanes? No shit?
I thought it was only 12 tbh.
So I looked up the google satellite image of that section of freeway, and I jolly well counted the lanes...7 in each direction.
And it gets jammed...
Quote from: hylierandom, A.D.D. on July 31, 2013, 05:47:20 PM
Quote from: M. Nigel Salt on July 30, 2013, 04:37:02 PM
Quote from: hylierandom, A.D.D. on July 30, 2013, 12:55:35 PM
I understand some students at a college in Atlanta decided, for shits and giggles, to drive the speed limit in morning rush hour traffic...in a line occupying all available lanes...
I'm not sure if they were charged for doing this... Or shot at.
Hahaha
Our freeways are so overburdened and bottlenecked that it's impossible to get anywhere close to the speed limit during rush hour.
Ours are, like, metastasizing.
Nobody's realized that every time they widen the damn freeway, more people move out to where the newly-widened freeway takes them...and therefore within (I'm guessing) 2-4 years, the shit will be just as bad as it was.
There's a strip of freeway that (no kidding) is now 14 lanes wide.
So what you have is clumps of congestion.
In between the (appropriate for Houston) clogged arteries, you have people driving at least 5 miles over the speed limit, usually...combined with people weaving in and out at speeds up to and possibly exceeding 100.
...Combine that with trucks losing loads and parts of loads all the time, no turn signals used, potholes, tailgaters and other insane shit ( like this one guy I saw doing jumping jacks in the median of the freeway for no apparent reason ) and you have normal daytime conditions.
Nighttime conditions? It's just safer to assume everyone you are sharing the freeway with is drunk.
Ugh. I think our widest freeways are 4 lanes each way, and never getting any wider because no space.
I'd suspect that the wider it gets over a greater distance, the worse the problem will become for exactly the reasons stated - Accidents/drunks/shedding loads.
I think what you're seeing is the development for some absolutely insane car wrecks. One truck flipping and everyone panics to avoid it and you'll get carnage on an unforseen scale.
Add a chemical tanker or the like to that and you could have a real fucking disaster.
5 years, tops.
Also, consider:
How much is "your car" really "Your" car? In the UK, you have to register the vehicle like a birth with the government to get a certificate telling you that you own the thing you bought.
You must then purchase insurance against any harm you may inflict with "your" property. At a minimum here you need 3rd party cover.
If there is damage to "your" property, you report it to the insurance company that may or may not decide if "your" property is now beyond repair and worthless. Your opinion on these things is fairly moot once you report it to them.
Some insurers in the UK are now insisting on fleet vehicles to be fitted with various tracker/driver monitoring devices. Personal insurances tend to follow business trends.
Result - The chance of this kind of thing becoming mandatory in the UK within the mid-term future? Almost certain. Insurance firms will probably bear a chunk of the cost and carve it back through higher premiums, install/removal fees and brand specific devices.
Aside - The thing where there's a breath test linked to the engine is probably worth noting here due to the sheer numbers around drunk/intoxicated driving.
Second aside - Most people use a manual in the UK. My experiences in automatics is similar to a go-kart. Texting/phones while driving is a fairly serial thing in the UK. Published numbers place direct casualties as comparable to drink-driving. Given the general speed of traffic in the UK it's not a particular challenge to use a phone most of the time. The problem tends to be idiots who are trying to change youtube videos at 80MPH. That said, I have seen people fined for texting while in a traffic jam. It's fairly difficult to separate the "good legislation" thing from the "money making exercise" thing.
Quote from: Junkenstein on July 31, 2013, 10:33:46 PM
Also, consider:
How much is "your car" really "Your" car? In the UK, you have to register the vehicle like a birth with the government to get a certificate telling you that you own the thing you bought.
You must then purchase insurance against any harm you may inflict with "your" property. At a minimum here you need 3rd party cover.
If there is damage to "your" property, you report it to the insurance company that may or may not decide if "your" property is now beyond repair and worthless. Your opinion on these things is fairly moot once you report it to them.
Some insurers in the UK are now insisting on fleet vehicles to be fitted with various tracker/driver monitoring devices. Personal insurances tend to follow business trends.
Result - The chance of this kind of thing becoming mandatory in the UK within the mid-term future? Almost certain. Insurance firms will probably bear a chunk of the cost and carve it back through higher premiums, install/removal fees and brand specific devices.
Aside - The thing where there's a breath test linked to the engine is probably worth noting here due to the sheer numbers around drunk/intoxicated driving.
Second aside - Most people use a manual in the UK. My experiences in automatics is similar to a go-kart. Texting/phones while driving is a fairly serial thing in the UK. Published numbers place direct casualties as comparable to drink-driving. Given the general speed of traffic in the UK it's not a particular challenge to use a phone most of the time. The problem tends to be idiots who are trying to change youtube videos at 80MPH. That said, I have seen people fined for texting while in a traffic jam. It's fairly difficult to separate the "good legislation" thing from the "money making exercise" thing.
It's the same here.
I brought this up with my husband the other day.
His exact words were "So? It's in a public place, not my home. I'm not doing anything illegal, what does it matter who knows how fast I'm driving or where I've gone?" also "If you have something to hide then you are probably doing something wrong."
I think I need to stop bringing up anything in the news with family.
Quote from: Sita on July 31, 2013, 11:18:05 PM
"If you have something to hide then you are probably doing something wrong."
Assumption of guilt as the default condition is a wonderful thing.
http://www.progressive.com/auto/snapshot/?vanity=true/
Looks like this little dingus fits into your OEM port?
Quote from: M. Nigel Salt on July 31, 2013, 09:48:44 PM
Ugh. I think our widest freeways are 4 lanes each way, and never getting any wider because no space.
Same. I think 14 lanes is actually wider than Long Island, and the Long Island Expressway would still be crowded.
QuoteI'd suspect that the wider it gets over a greater distance, the worse the problem will become for exactly the reasons stated - Accidents/drunks/shedding loads.
Was thinking about this. The biggest choke points, in my experience, are when the lanes shrink and merge. So if you take a 14-lane road, it will eventually have to collapse back into a 2-lane. So if the 14-lane is used to capacity, it will jam for MILES with every lane reduction.
Well, if it's well planned out, the chokes would be around where a lot of people would get off the freeway, and would extend again where theres a lot of incorporations... wonder if it works out that way :fnord:
This all assumes there's no corruption involved in construction/maintenance of these extra lanes and such. Not that there would be any kind of incentive for this clusterfuck.
I'm sure it's all totally legit. Don't worry about it.
UK has a maximum of six lanes on a road.
(http://24.media.tumblr.com/ce3ad07603c33e7a8e86c90089c2b3a4/tumblr_mnvgi9MGUH1stdmcbo1_400.gif)
Quote from: Cain on August 01, 2013, 08:50:22 PM
UK has a maximum of six lanes on a road.
(http://24.media.tumblr.com/ce3ad07603c33e7a8e86c90089c2b3a4/tumblr_mnvgi9MGUH1stdmcbo1_400.gif)
Pretty sure there's a number of stretches of the M6 where there's 8. Seem to recall others thinking about it.
ETA - Yep, M1, M60 and M6 at least. May have got around the regs by being "Managed motorways"
Well, I don't count the M6 anyway, since it's a toll road.
Quote from: Cain on August 01, 2013, 10:04:26 PM
Well, I don't count the M6 anyway, since it's a toll road.
Referring to it as a road implies traffic
moves on it.
This tends to be the exception rather than the rule.
Quote from: Junkenstein on August 01, 2013, 10:05:48 PM
Quote from: Cain on August 01, 2013, 10:04:26 PM
Well, I don't count the M6 anyway, since it's a toll road.
Referring to it as a road implies traffic moves on it.
This tends to be the exception rather than the rule.
They ought to call them parkways, perhaps...because it's like you parked and it's gonna be like that for a ways...
Quote from: LMNO, PhD (life continues) on August 01, 2013, 06:25:30 PM
QuoteI'd suspect that the wider it gets over a greater distance, the worse the problem will become for exactly the reasons stated - Accidents/drunks/shedding loads.
Was thinking about this. The biggest choke points, in my experience, are when the lanes shrink and merge. So if you take a 14-lane road, it will eventually have to collapse back into a 2-lane. So if the 14-lane is used to capacity, it will jam for MILES with every lane reduction.
Yeah, I think some traffic scientists have proven that the wider you make your freeways, the more clogged they will become, if you have a high density of traffic.
Quote from: Sita on July 31, 2013, 11:18:05 PM"If you have something to hide then you are probably doing something wrong."
that's is a really silly/dangerous line of thought. here are some good counterarguments if you need them--I always have trouble coming up with myself, good convincing ones that do not sound trite, so I have these links bookmarked in my "counterarguments" folder, for reference:
* Why privacy matters even if you have "nothing to hide" (http://chronicle.com/article/Why-Privacy-Matters-Even-if/127461)
* "Nothing to hide" (http://danielsieradski.com/nothing-to-hide/14572)
* very poignant reddit comment (http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/comments/1fv4r6/i_believe_the_government_should_be_allowed_to/caeb3pl) by someone who lives in one of the Arab Spring countries, explaning how quickly things can change for the worse, and how/why this endangers people with "nothing to hide" just as much as those who do
and if that doesn't help, just hit them with this generic counterargument to counter all arguments: HALF the FACTS you know are probably WRONG (http://reason.com/archives/2012/12/24/half-the-facts-you-know-are-probably-wro) (no it's not really relevant to privacy but it's a real gem, right there)
edit I forgot to say, maybe some of you were wondering why I haven't jumped in on the NSA Surveillance thread, (since I used to have this big privacy thread going), it's because it's 12 pages long right now and I just haven't found the time to read up yet.
The freeway system in the Phoenix area is actually not completely awful, except for a few junctions that were clearly designed by a kindergartner hopped up on Ritalin. Still, because of changing densities and development plans around the freeways, traffic patterns on them change faster than remodeling can keep up with them. So we have bottlenecks and traffic jams pretty much every day, and the general rule is "find a surface street to bypass the shitty part, and Godspeed to you."
I personally despise the entire notion of personally operated automobiles in city limits. If you want to fuck off in the countryside for a while, then by all means get a tank or whatever you feel will most adequately crush small woodland creatures, and go have fun. But in the city, people should be moved by automated systems. This works in large, dense cities, but in places like the Phoenix area, where we have 4 million people spread out over about 800 square miles, mass transit tends to make very little sense, because God forbid your city looks like a fucking city. But I digress.
So I have no problem with smart cars or tracking systems, as long as they go all the way and take out the steering wheel too, and drive the things via satellite or something. Too many insufferable jackasses on the roads threatening my life.