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Everyone's talking about self-driving cars, but I read a study from the University of Michigan that changed my mind.
The study found that in a fully automated future, traffic might actually get worse because people would send empty cars on errands. They estimated a potential 11% increase in vehicle miles traveled. I always figured automation would solve congestion, but this detail made me reconsider the whole premise. Has anyone else seen research that challenges the usual predictions about future transport?
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owens.anthony2mo ago
Yeah, @sean854 has a point, my car already does that ghost ride thing too.
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jamie8045d ago
That empty car thing is wild. My neighbor's kid actually programs his old Honda to swing by and pick up his girlfriend from work while he's at class. No one in the car at all. Just a robot taxi for a high school romance. Saw it do a three point turn by itself the other day. Kind of creepy but also smart.
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