Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems |
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VehicleGuidance.com Automated Guided Vehicle Systems People Movers and Bus Rapid Transit Systems Aerospace Technology Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems Advanced Vehicle Control Systems Concerns 
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Researchers have observed that a parked vehicle only requires 175 square feet (16 square meters), yet a moving vehicle requires more than 5,000 square feet of space (465 square meters). Traffic engineers state that the maximum capacity of one lane of a highway is 2,000 automobiles per hour. This is because of the amount of space required for driver reaction time. When a driver is in complete control of the vehicle, he or she must allow space to have time to react to changing situations and to avoid any accidents. Humans are also less precise than a computer would be able to consistently be. 
Automated vehicle guidance systems would allow cars to travel much closer together and therefore dramatically increase highway capacity. Engineers also note that cars would most likely be able to travel at much higher speeds as well, decreasing the time spent commuting. Optimistic estimates say that highways could be up to five times more efficient with vehicle guidance systems in place.
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