Smart cars may not be smart

Much is being made of "smart" cars navigating automatically on intelligent vehicle highway systems. The assumption is that progress in controls, communications, and computers has made technical solutions practical for the problem of highway congestion. The author argues that this hope may not always be realized by the Intelligent Vehicle Highway System (IVHS) programs being investigated in the United States, and gives his belief that high technology is not the best way to attack highway congestion, stating that with the right mix of cars, vans, and buses, it should be possible to double or triple the people-moving capacity of a highway.<>