Information Highways (1 of 20)

On an interstate in California, the American company, Buick, is road testing the highway of the future.
These drivers on the daily commute are enjoying a taste of what intelligent cars will do for us in the 21st Century.
If you thought information technology had changed your life, wait until you see what it does for your car.
Hey, I wonder what we'd hear if I turned on the switch and we're driving along in 1976.
Freedom to go wherever we choose is the upside of the motor car.
Pollution, congestion and accidents,the downside.
Hello tower, this is Firebird two, three, zero, four.

How are things on the safety auto way? Tower to Firebird two, all traffic moving in normal pattern.
We're heading for Chicago.
Please route us through, over.
Roger, Firebird two, move to electronic control strip in center lane.
Synchronize your speed and direction.
Well done, Firebird two.
You're now under automatic control, hands off steering.
In the era before computers, safe, congestion free highways where drivers could hand over control and relax must have seemed a road worth exploring.
Trouble was, nobody really knew how to get there.
On the gridlock roads of the 1990's, it seems like an even better idea.
And today, at least someone thinks they know how to make it happen.