The Europeans believe in state action, so it’s not surprising they’re poised to leap ahead of us in road technology:
Road trains that link vehicles together using wireless sensors could soon be on European roads.
An EU-financed research project is looking at inexpensive ways of getting vehicles to travel in a ‘platoon’ on Europe’s motorways.
Each road train could include up to eight separate vehicles – cars, buses and trucks will be mixed in each one.
The EU hopes to cut fuel consumption, journey times and congestion by linking vehicles together.
Early work on the idea suggests that fuel consumption could be cut by 20% among those cars and trucks travelling behind the lead vehicle.
Of course, their idea requires a lead vehicle with a professional driver — probably unionized. Research trials will be held on test tracks in the UK, Spain and Sweden.
I’ve long thought we could turn those reflectors that demarcate lanes on roads into buoys read by the adaptive cruise control that’s showing up in more and more cars. But then that, too, would require a government that could act. And a citizenry with some faith in it.
Do you guess that if we had to do it today, we’d have the wherewithal to build the Interstate Highway System?