Driving through an intersection can be deadly. According the World Health Organization 3500 people die every day in traffic accidents, and if conventional intersections controlling conventional traffic are dangerous, Peter Stone is trying imagine a world where driverless cars are no longer experimental, but the norm. Stone is an associate professor of Computer Science at the University of Texas. He believes the era of the driverless car has already begun. "Ninety-five percent of accidents are caused by human error and the reason we are focusing on intersections is that one quarter of all accidents occur in intersections and a third of all fatal accidents so taking the person out of the loop will be a huge advantage." But while removing human control inside an intersection may be a daunting idea, Stone and his team believe they've developed a system that will work on the busiest of roads. Stone's idea sees traffic signals like lights and stop signs, replaced by a computer pro! gramme that manages each individual vehicle as it navigates the intersection. "Within a few hundred yards of where it is approaching, it calls ahead essentially, sends a wireless signal using a technology that already exists called dedicated short range communications or DSRC and there is a computer programme at the intersection that is basically maintaining a reservation system." Stone says the reservation system will ensure that cars stay far enough apart to avoid a collision while always staying in ...
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