Since the tunnel is dark inside and the STOP is projected from inside the tunnel through the water, it's probably noticeable. The report seems to indicate the operation is manual from the tunnel control room, after the driver has gone past multiple signs.
So, the water curtain deploys in front of me.
I hit the brakes, hard and fast.
Right behind me is a very large truck.
The truck driver is not paying attention.
He has not noticed multiple warnings.
He may not notice my brake lights. OUCH.
Bottom line. YOU CAN'T FIX STUPID.
Bill
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"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter
Why don't they just make some sort of sacrificial barrier that the truck would collide with prior to hitting the bridge. Something (or several of them) that would get the driver's attention (without damaging the truck) well in advance of hitting the bridge. If need be, set a camera up to catch the plates so they know whose insurance to bill for the replacement of said sacrificial device. Or maybe it doesn't even have to be sacrificial. It could be a series of spring loaded batterers that beat the hell out of the truck making loud noises and whilst also slapping at the windshield.
Spartan5 - according to the Australian news report the tunnel operators say this had happened 3-4 times/month. Which seems to be a lot of colliding with something. I'd say it is fair to assume the truckers can read and they have 2 large signs well ahead of the water wall to do so.
The Australian Trucking Association opined that the tunnel was created without them getting in about allowing oversized vehicles and therefore it is all the tunnel designer's fault.
In the example footage there is an open top truck that is overloaded with dirt or garbage or some such which would likely be peeled off and dumped behind the truck, closing the lane anyway.
Funny thing, I'm reviewing plans for a barrier above a low clearance bridge. Believe me, the beam isn't going to be sacrificial; it's gonna be the truck and possibly the driver if the beam crashes down on him. It weights 50K.
One of my favorites for 11foot8 is the RV which loses 2 roof-mounted AC units. Yup. It's not just the height of the vehicle that matters. Also, it's a good idea not to follow trucks too closely under low clearance bridges and tunnels.
Not too long and we will be saying "Stupid robot" and slowly inching towards being ruled by Skynet and a legion of robots made to look like the former governor of California.
That's hardly reserved for robots as Jane Mansfield's death indicated.
The more likely result in robotic vehicles is to default to some safe condition, such as stopping, in a situation that is ordinarily seen as completely safe to proceed. Google cars vs bicycle riders, for example, because the cyclists slow, but don't completely stop at the cross street.
![[banghead]](/data/assets/smilies/banghead.gif "[banghead] [banghead]")
