![]() ![]() It might strike some drivers as overly polite, but for a robot-driven car, erring on the cautious side while navigating around humans is probably the best bet. Google’s robot car will even surrender the entire lane to the cyclist if they’re showing signs of moving closer. Google wouldn’t exactly be the first to the punch - Mercedes demonstrated its capability to understand human gestures with its concept car - but at a time when some autonomous technology has yet to even navigate shared roads much less around pedestrians or cyclists, it’s certainly a good sign. That means the technology is ostensibly capable of understanding things like a pedestrian waving a car by when it’s, say, at a stop sign. Detecting and understanding human gestures is a hugely important part of that. ![]() While automakers and tech companies can outfit a car with vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technology to enable communication between two cars or between cars and things like traffic signals, communicating with a pedestrian is much more difficult.Ī robot car needs to not only be able to communicate its intentions to pedestrians but also understand a pedestrian’s intentions. This is an important aspect for a self-driving car that shares the roads with pedestrians and manually driven cars. “Cyclists often make hand signals far in advance of a turn, and our software is designed to remember previous signals from a rider so it can better anticipate a rider's turn down the road,” Google wrote in its monthly self-driving report. But now, thanks to Google’s many in-house bikers, the company’s self-driving car not only knows how to navigate around cyclists but can recognize, understand and remember their hand signals. They weave in and out of traffic and sometimes human drivers toe the line when deciding how much space to give them - and sometimes they don’t. However, they will still need to recognize hand signals when they are used by other drivers and cyclists.Biking alongside manually driven cars can be a nightmare for both the biker and the driver. Kentucky represents the only exception to this rule, as their drivers are currently not required to use hand signals during the test. It is recommended in most states that drivers use hand signals in very bright sunlight when their lights may not be visible, and when a row of cars may obscure their turn indicators from other drivers.Īs we mentioned earlier, your ability to recognize and perform hand signals will be assessed during the driving exam. Thus, the ability to recognize hand signals is essential.Įven with fully-functional turn indicators you may sometimes need to use hand signals when preparing to turn. Furthermore, cyclists use hand signals to indicate turns, lane changes and stops all the time! It is highly likely that you will need to share the road with cyclists at some point. Your vehicle may be new and unlikely to malfunction, but the same cannot be said of every other car you encounter while driving. What new drivers often do not consider, is that they will also need to recognize hand signals when they are used by other motorists and cyclists. Obviously, remembering your hand signals will be vital if your turn signals fail and you must communicate your intentions to other drivers. Hand signals for drivingĪll drivers must easily be able to recall hand signals for two reasons. Turn indicators may also be used as a substitute for emergency flashers, if the latter signaling device is not functional. This distance may vary slightly in different states, so we recommend checking your own driving manual for details. In most states, the turn signal must be engaged at least 100 feet prior to a turn and kept on until the maneuver is complete. Drivers should activate their turn signals early enough to allow motorists behind them time to register and respond. You must activate your turn indicators when changing lanes, exiting or entering a traffic circle or making a turn. ![]() Turn signals are the most effective way to communicate most of the intended maneuvers to other road users. Your knowledge of hand signals will also be assessed during the driving test, so it is essential to master them. This is unlikely to happen, but you must be prepared for all eventualities. Hand signals should only be used if other signaling tools – such as turn indicators and brake lights – are malfunctioning. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |