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by appreciatorBus 404 days ago
This is my biggest fear of technologies like these.

The whole point of a speed bump, for example, is to ensure that behaviour that puts others at risk will, at the very least make the driver uncomfortable. If we then deploy technologies that make speed bumps “disappear” from the perspective of vehicle occupants, it’s going to enable people to comfortably drive a lot more aggressively at the expense the people on the other side of the windshield.

Conversely, if we were to deploy technologies like speed governors, then we could do away with the speed bumps and the need for fancy suspension.
2 comments
linsomniac 404 days ago
>technologies that make speed bumps “disappear”

My 2004 Land Cruiser has such technology. It's called "being a Land Cruiser". As a sports car fan, I'm quite familiar with how hard it is to make speed bumps that work for every vehicle. You're not wrong, but also it's a pretty crude technology, speed bumps.

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mindslight 404 days ago
The problem with speed bumps is that the level of annoyance is drastically higher for the already-slow prudent driver in a reasonable vehicle, compared to the lackadaisical latently-fast driver in an oversized monster SUV. So most of the intended targets get punished with "wow that was bouncy lol!" while the collateral damage gets comically slow crawling and/or frame damage. Speed bumps also draw the attention of drivers towards focusing on the obstacle, and away from staying alert for pedestrians.

I just had an experience with a parking lot (at a place generally full of kids), that had added a horrible speed bump at the entrance and then removed it a few months later. As far as I know there was no problem with people speeding in the lot, it was likely just some busybody trying to make things "better". Thankfully someone more in charge saw the light of reason.

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