This is just majorly annoying until every one has it.

No one is going to know you're driving at slow speeds because you have information on the lights, they're just gonna be pissed off, do dangerous overtaking etc, which in turns is gonna throw your cars calculations off no?

Even when we get self-driving cars, cars have relatively large life spans, it's going to take 50-60yrs from when they even become popular to out phase older models. It doesn't feel like something you can retrofit.

It's just depressing all-around, I'm so over crappy inefficient human drivers. We're all just ticking time bombs escaping death every time we drive, oh you sneezed, dead, oh you felt slightly depressed and let your concentration slip for a second, dead etc

Yes we get away with it the vast majority of the time but the times we don't is still far too high.

There should be two types of cars:
- Those decked out with all kinds of techno-wizardry.
and..
- Those you can fix any part of with a wrench, welder, and a screwdriver.

Both have their place.
..also, can we get less intrusive motion graphics please?

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/11/25/131125fa_fact_bilger?currentPage=all

As long as those designing the first take the second into account

My aunt isn't online.
And I'll bet neither is your traffic light.

Guaranteed, if I see someone in their $100K car going 5mph down main street in order to 'hit all the lights' I'll swerve around them and tell them off while I do it (and maybe slow down enough to make them miss the light anyway, if I'm not in a hurry). If they then want to hit my 43 year old bronco in anger, we'll see who fairs better.
The road isn't just for YOU, I wish people would learn how to drive WITH others. There are rules of the road to make roads work. Ignoring those rules for your own benefit makes YOU a problem. This tech did NOT seem to take other drivers into account. Blocking traffic because YOU aren't planning on turning at the light is not the way to make traffic flow better, or the way to keep your $100K car from being keyed or rear ended.

I've always wondered why they don't put countdowns to green lights and red lights. That would give the drivers better warning to hit the green just right without slowing and also minimize the 2-3 sec delay that people have taking off from a stop.

*commercial, *engineering

Adding video to channels (Commercial, Engineering) - requested by Zawash.

The system starts your engine 5 seconds before the light changes? I'm assuming that means it turns off your engine while you wait. Isn't that kind of dangerous? I bet the emergency vehicle stuck behind you wouldn't be too happy

I think quite a few modern cars turn the engine off while you wait at lights, certainly I've been in one that did. It didn't start until you pressed the accelerator, at which point it turned back on effectively immediately.

Driving at 5mph isn't going to be an issue. If the system actually suggests anything like that, anything which would cause other drivers any particular concern, then it's not fit for purpose. Where did this notion of it suggesting you drive at that sort of speed come from?

That's not the main point...

This tech did NOT seem to take other drivers into account.

@Quboid

It doesn't take much variance in speed to cause annoyance in other drivers, if this device tells you to slow down even 5km/h (sorry I don't do miles), you're going to be breaking the flow of traffic and people *will* overtake you.

People drive up to and often slightly over the speed limit, you can say whatever you want about what people *should* be doing but it's not reality, so it's moot.

If this doesn't take other drivers in to consideration, the entire thing is pointless other than the light countdown timer, which is handy but could also cause irresponsible driving ("If I speed up now, I'm gonna make it, this thing is switching in 5 seconds!").

What else is it telling you? Start slowing down now but oh wait, 5 cars just took position in front of you...guess the distance I calculated to the traffic light just then is no longer useful, you better slow down another 10km/h, oh hell just look in front of you and slow down to meet traffic conditions.

Ok thanks computer!

There is also an expectation that technology works and it is entirely valid, yes people should use common sense but this doesn't excuse your product for not working, this is silly. The purpose of technology is to work so transparently, you are doing less thinking so you can focus on more important things, like sudden high impact situations that require heroic reaction times.

Anyway, I don't think this is bad tech, I think it is not particularly useful in today's environment and is just an odd stepping stone to proper smart cars. I think the gradual progression to smart cars is the fault of an uneducated public who have unfounded hate in the concept of letting go of driving to a computer.

I just want smart cars every where for everyone, so we can have safe and effective roads.

They've been doing that in St Charles, MO (a St Louis suburb) over the last few years... Well, at least they're displaying a countdown to the end of the green light. A countdown to the end of the red light would just encourage people to treat the green light as a racing start, and would undoubtedly contribute to more accidents.

@yellowc

Changing your speed by 5 MPH or even 5 KMPH (3 MPH) could be a problem. Changing your speed to 5 MPH, as newtboy said, just seems to be drawing massive, ridiculous assumptions about how this works, as if no one at Audi would realise that this would be terrible.

You don't go anything like as far as him. Lines like "this doesn't excuse your product for not working" still imply an assumption about how effective this is that I didn't get from the video but the video is fairly low on substance.

If you're intending to be dismissive then I disagree but a certain level of cynicism is healthy.

OK, you are correct. This tech likely would only direct bad drivers to go 5mph to make the lights on main street (and I say 5mph because some lights are (or at least used to be) timed to make it impossible to 'make the lights' unless you go that slow, this is done intentionally to slow traffic in high traffic/pedestrian areas...it was a worst case scenario but one that happens).
My worry is that many if not most people are inconsiderate enough that if their car directs them to go 5mph, they'll do it without question.
Once the cars drive themselves, if this issue is not taken care of, then it's a bad technology.

I really don't think it would ever tell anyone to drive at 5MPH down main street. The people making this have probably given the system enough thought to take reasonable driving speeds into account.

I also doubt that a significant number of people would follow that sort of instruction. There are a lot of stupid and/or selfish drivers out there but not many who would inconvenience themselves in this manner. (By reputation, Audi drivers aren't often accused of driving too slowly.)

Aren't lights typically timed to help people make them at the speed limit, regardless of how busy the area is (as the speed limit is already accounting for this)? I'm certainly not going to condemn anyone for driving over the speed limit but if other drivers who do stick to the limit are a problem then you shouldn't be driving. Besides, we'll have to get used to keeping to the speed limits when our cars drive themselves.

All this anger and confusion and you guys all forgot about how traffic lights actually work now. Traffic lights haven't been timed in a long time. There will be networks, sensors, and the car can report them live, but light times change and evolve depending on other traffic. A green light will stay green indefinitely unless it's sensors pick up a car wanting to turn into the primary flow. Red lights could also be shorter depending on if left turning lanes need to be used first.

Perhaps you're right and they thought of that...but also perhaps not.
I must admit, I had not taken it being only on Audi's into account.
For jmd: Where I live, in the boondocks of far N Cali., we still have timed lights, and at certain times of day they are timed to force you to stop at (at best) every other block unless you speed like a demon. In order to hit every light green, you would have to either drive double the limit, or less than 1/2. They do this as a speed control measure, even though the limit is 35mph on main street. All that said, I doubt these old style traffic lights would 'talk' to the cars computer, making the whole point moot.
When my car drives itself I'll be far more forgiving of poor drivers, because it will be the car dealing with their mistakes while I just read a book...I can't wait. Until then, I'm a victim of my own limited patience.
I recall in Houston the freeways have a MINIMUM speed limit of 45 (which is ridiculous to anyone who has ever driven in Houston traffic...but I digress). I think minimum limits are good ideas. I think moving violations for people driving slow in the fast/passing lane would do the most to increase the flow of traffic, but that's just me.

> I've always wondered why they don't put countdowns
> to green lights and red lights.

all our lights up here have them, i rather like them. I dont think they are seconds, some faster unit. It is possible though that my psyche is on slow-mo though. They are visible from far enough away that they help with braking decisions -- when the roads are good. They are small enough that on very icy days you cant read the numbers until you are too close to stop.