This article came out almost 13 years ago and I have never heard of this. Seems like a bunch of nonsense to me, like that couple that goes all over the country trying to make the case for a 10 hour clock.
It was published 13 years ago because it would be hideously evil to withhold it with the hope of later commercializing it. it is too big an idea. say I sat on it and people died in the meantime? I published it to the world all those years ago and the government and car companies told me that though a fine idea, the future was self driving cars. It was a good idea then and is still a good idea now. Even a self driving car should be foreced to show people it is stopping even from the front!!