Driverless Lorries Causing Concern
Could driverless lorries arrive on our roads before driverless cars?
An expected announcement next week is already causing concern.
George Osborne is widely expected to declare in his budget speech on March 16 that trials of driverless lorries have been given the go ahead.
Where and when is less certain, but speculation is that they would start on quieter, northerly reaches of the M6.
Lorries would form into convoys of up to ten trucks with just one driver, in the lead vehicle.
The others would respond to the actions up front under computer control.
It is suggested that these heavyweight would travel but a few metres apart, which would reduce drag and save on fuel as well as driver cost.
Everyday car drivers, though, are pondering the practicalities. A ten wagon convoy with no gaps in between is a lengthy beast and there have already been suggestions that it would need to move into a motorway’s middle lane and when approaching a slip road, in order not to block drivers from getting on and off.
But what of two lane highways? Regulars on the M42 north of Curdworth have countless horror stories of lorries taking three miles or more to overtake each other on the dual lane stretch. What happens when one slow-moving beast of burden attempts to get past a line of ten?
Information is also scant on where journeys for these wagon trains will start and finish. Will there be special ‘sidings’ built for them in motorway service areas, with teams of extra drivers waiting to take over for local roads?
We can but hope that the Chancellor has some reassuring detail on Wednesday.