autocratic for the people.

Social Blind Spot Warning System.

Audi and Volvo are introducing technologies this year which alert drivers to objects residing in their blind spot. This continues the trend of weighing vehicles down with expensive technology that only benefits the individual; that is, the blind-spot systems only provide an advantage to the driver of the equipped vehicle.

I wonder what would happen if the DOT mandated a per-vehicle radar system that blinked an annoying light when the driver cruised in the left lane when the right lane was open. That's all it would do: be annoying. It wouldn't inform the authorities or anything, and it wouldn't bother anyone else. It would simply provide an incentive to drive in a manner beneficial to the overall good.

Would such a system, installed on every new vehicle, increase highway throughput? Probably. Wouldn't increased throughput reduce the average level of stress, and probably reduce the overall amount of gas consumed as well? It might.

Sure seems like a better use of the technology to me.

posted by avixe @ 10:20 PM