Speed limits are a limit. Not a target to beat.

[vonhosen]

Shame an opportunity was missed to push drivers not being kept up to scratch with modern cars
The vast majority of cars are capable of 100mph, many are capable of 140+. Isn't it time we overhauled the 40 year old laws that have failed to keep up with modern technology?

And given the fantastic reductions in driver fatalities despite the rising numbers of cars on the roads, haven't we lost rational thought when it comes to "preservation" of life? Why not focus on the hours stolen from people in congestion caused by incompetent drivers, traffic lights causing holdups where no other traffic is around, speed limits making journeys take far longer than necessary. /won't somebody think of the children?

They are working towards that, but it will lead to you not driving the vehicle. Efficient use of road space by packing vehicles closer together, all travelling at a uniform speed etc etc.
An integrated computerised system is where we'll end up & a driver performing inputs other than selecting a destination will be a thing of the past.

Not in my lifetime or anyone else's if you ask me. We can't even get trains to run on time let alone random vehicles entering a system going to different destinations. I won't be cancelling my new car order just yet

I don't know how long you've got to live, but when I look at the changes during my grandfather's, father's & own life, change is relentless & the pace of it gets quicker.

[Rick999]

Yes many things have improved and changed dramatically but I'd suggest most of those are in the technology arena. Transport in this country is not something which has changed at the same rate, in fact judging by improvements in vehicle technology and safety in relation to speed limits I'd suggest we have gone backwards. If some sort of automated futuristic travelator system is likely to be implemented it won't start here. I'd bet Japan will be where it would start and probably suit their culture better than ours. Either way I guess we will have to wait and see.

[WhoseGeneration]

They are working towards that, but it will lead to you not driving the vehicle. Efficient use of road space by packing vehicles closer together, all travelling at a uniform speed etc etc.
An integrated computerised system is where we'll end up & a driver performing inputs other than selecting a destination will be a thing of the past.

Working towards a deskilling of the population, rather than the opposite.
For "They" know best.
That's not how we have progressed to our current abilities, deskilling and proscribing leads to stagnation.

[vonhosen]

They are working towards that, but it will lead to you not driving the vehicle. Efficient use of road space by packing vehicles closer together, all travelling at a uniform speed etc etc.
An integrated computerised system is where we'll end up & a driver performing inputs other than selecting a destination will be a thing of the past.

Working towards a deskilling of the population, rather than the opposite.
For "They" know best.
That's not how we have progressed to our current abilities, deskilling and proscribing leads to stagnation.

That's not about deskilling of the driving population, it's about a complete transport infrastructure change & removing them.

[MGF]

If we remove drivers from the process what would be the point in training them to the skill levels they have currently?

[vonhosen]

If we remove drivers from the process what would be the point in training them to the skill levels they have currently?

We train for the system we have currently which involves them driving, but that doesn't preclude design of a future system that would make the past training redundant. Also having a future design that would make it redundant doesn't mean we shouldn't have a training system for the current transport system.

For instance we currently have driverless train systems running in tandem with driven train systems. We still have to train the train drivers whilst that's the case, but when & if they all become driverless trains we won't need to train any. It doesn't mean the current training of train drivers is worthless or pointless.

[Horse]

Shame an opportunity was missed to push drivers not being kept up to scratch with modern cars
The vast majority of cars are capable of 100mph, many are capable of 140+. Isn't it time we overhauled the 40 year old laws that have failed to keep up with modern technology?

And given the fantastic reductions in driver fatalities despite the rising numbers of cars on the roads

Google 'smeed' and accident rates. You may be intrigued and then need to reconsider the word 'despite' . . .

[jont]

Shame an opportunity was missed to push drivers not being kept up to scratch with modern cars
The vast majority of cars are capable of 100mph, many are capable of 140+. Isn't it time we overhauled the 40 year old laws that have failed to keep up with modern technology?

And given the fantastic reductions in driver fatalities despite the rising numbers of cars on the roads

Google 'smeed' and accident rates. You may be intrigued and then need to reconsider the word 'despite' . . .

Interesting, thanks. I wonder if that's been driving planners in Bristol to make traffic as bad as possible as an attempt to force people out of their cars

[MGF]

If we remove drivers from the process what would be the point in training them to the skill levels they have currently?

We train for the system we have currently which involves them driving, but that doesn't preclude design of a future system that would make the past training redundant.

I don't think WG will find noskilling preferable to deskilling.

[sussex2]

I wonder if that's been driving planners in Bristol to make traffic as bad as possible as an attempt to force people out of their cars

I am pretty much convinced that is the modus operandi of the Greens in Brighton & Hove. They appear to have done, and are continuing to do, everything they can get away with to make life as difficult as possible for car drivers in the town and now they appear to be rushing as much through as they can before they get voted out at the next election.

The pessimist in me says that, despite their massive unpopularity, they'll manage to stay in. There is such a huge student vote from the two universities that it can blunt the wishes of the people that are genuinely residents rather than merely transients.

One reason why I quit Brighton years ago for places a bit further west.

[fungus]

If we remove drivers from the process what would be the point in training them to the skill levels they have currently?

We train for the system we have currently which involves them driving, but that doesn't preclude design of a future system that would make the past training redundant.

I don't think WG will find noskilling preferable to deskilling.

I'm afraid I'm with WG on this one.

[fungus]

I wonder if that's been driving planners in Bristol to make traffic as bad as possible as an attempt to force people out of their cars

I am pretty much convinced that is the modus operandi of the Greens in Brighton & Hove. They appear to have done, and are continuing to do, everything they can get away with to make life as difficult as possible for car drivers in the town and now they appear to be rushing as much through as they can before they get voted out at the next election.

The pessimist in me says that, despite their massive unpopularity, they'll manage to stay in. There is such a huge student vote from the two universities that it can blunt the wishes of the people that are genuinely residents rather than merely transients.

One reason why I quit Brighton years ago for places a bit further west.

Don't move to Bournemouth, they think making the roads safer is placing bus stops right on junctions, and blocking the view at T junctions and roundabouts by planting shrubs to obscure the view.

[WhoseGeneration]

I don't think WG will find noskilling preferable to deskilling.

I'm afraid I'm with WG on this one.

Perhaps it's my age and being from a generation that valued being able to turn its hand to most things necessary.
Sorta like the colonists of the past, just do it.
In terms of the modern world, research, read up and do it.
Then too, working world and friends, always those who could cross different disciplines.
I have a suspicion that the thrust of today's politicians is to render the population impotent in believing that the population is capable of doing anything that the politicians haven't approved via an organisation authorised by those politicians.

[TheInsanity1234]

I don't think WG will find noskilling preferable to deskilling.

I'm afraid I'm with WG on this one.

Perhaps it's my age and being from a generation that valued being able to turn its hand to most things necessary.
Sorta like the colonists of the past, just do it.
In terms of the modern world, research, read up and do it.
Then too, working world and friends, always those who could cross different disciplines.
I have a suspicion that the thrust of today's politicians is to render the population impotent in believing that the population is capable of doing anything that the politicians haven't approved via an organisation authorised by those politicians.

I suspect I'm born of the wrong generation.

I've always felt that there is a hidden agenda of the government to try and minimise the number of deaths blah blah by reducing the population into a group of drones.

[WhoseGeneration]

I suspect I'm born of the wrong generation.

I've always felt that there is a hidden agenda of the government to try and minimise the number of deaths blah blah by reducing the population into a group of drones.

This area is one which encompasses a wide debate but, at heart, it's a feedback loop.
Test for you, describe that loop.
Plus, the prevailing belief, against nature, that by proscribing behaviour, life can be extended.
To end, dribbling in an old folks home, how many centurnarians do we need? Just to provide justification to politicians and the medical/ pharma fraternity.
You'll be ok, being a scientist but just remember the engineers have to apply what you discover and are a bit more savvy as regards systems and safe application in the real world.