Prius Prime: Hissing sound when going forward

You mean pedestrians talk too much?

 

Kudos for that. Bet you get honked at. Maybe when the self-driving cars are prevalent we'll all "remember" that one.

 

Thanks! Actually, less honking than you might think, at least here in Austin.

Typed by Mr88cet’s dancing thumbs

 

I predict that, when we finally do start seeing level-4 and -5 Autonomous-Driving Systems come on-line, only about half of drivers will routinely use them.

They’ll claim that it’s because these systems drive badly, but the real reason will be that they will drive way too cautiously to get them to appointments on time, etc.

Most of us have gotten used to leaving for appointments just barely in the nick of time, and then driving a little dangerously to get there just barely on-time, or slightly late. Autonomous-Driving Systems will be designed to keep safety first.

At some point in the more-distant future, we might start seeing laws requiring people to use them under certain circumstances.

Typed by Mr88cet’s dancing thumbs

 

The funny thing is: they don't get to their appointments that much quicker, if at all. And sometimes, with a rash decision that stacks up the wrong way, they don't get there at all.

 

Yes, I remember reading or seeing news stories showing that the improvement in transit times is usually pretty small.

Oh yeah, one fairly-recent (5ish years ago) example was when the Mythbusters tested the myth that if you always stay in the same lane throughout a commute, you arrive no later than if you switch lanes trying to get the greatest advantage. In short, they found that the difference was not huge, but constantly switching lanes sure was stressful!

Well, actually, as I recall, literally *always* staying in exactly the same lane, all were slower than rabid lane switching, but most lanes came out not-much slower. One or two were considerably slower, though. I guess the optimal balance is only switching lanes a few times, only when the benefit is the greatest (of course which changes have the greatest benefit aren’t always easy to tell while buried in traffic).

Typed by Mr88cet’s dancing thumbs

 

pretty sure i read that studies in some countries have shown that quiet cars are not a source of pedestrian accidents.

 

A quiet car and a stealthy approach can be useful for disciplining a noisy pedestrian with an authoritative nudge.

 

I think I recall there was a scene in The Office (US series) roughly to that effect...

Typed by Mr88cet’s dancing thumbs

 

I have had that same problem with my big red 4WD Tundra. I wonder if there is a problem with the Tundra blending in too much.

 

Careful how you say such things, your tongue could get permanently lodged in your cheek!

Typed by Mr88cet’s dancing thumbs

 

Ours is a 2000 2WD, but only an inch lower than 4WD. Yours is the larger version. We are really extra careful in the parking lot at Lowes.

 

OUCH! I bit my tongue.