Are You Ready For the Road Train?

The European Union’s “SAfe Road TRains for the Environment” (SARTRE) initiative kicked off last year, promising to ease traffic congestion and improve fuel economy while making highway travel safer and more convenient … by taking drivers out of the equation.

SARTRE’s utopian vision has drivers commuting to work while reading a book, catching up on work emails, or (more likely) updating their Facebook page while their car is controlled by a wireless connection to a proposed “lead” vehicle, which SARTRE envisions as a semi truck, bus, or other professionally-driven vehicle (presumable one large enough to carry and power said wireless equipment).

Despite all the potential advantages and the novel solution (which requires minimal infrastructure to implement), it all sounds pretty scary to me, and when I first read about SARTRE it didn’t seem like they’d get much support.

Are You Ready For the Road Train? – Gas 2.0