Connected, Autonomous Cars: Passive Pothole Patrollers

In November 2018, I was driving on the highway at night in upstate New York. The blowing snow and sleet made it difficult to see far ahead, but I noticed several cars pulled over on the side of the road with their hazard lights f lashing. Assuming they had been in an accident, I pulled into the left lane when I suddenly struck an invisible obstacle, blowing my tires. After reaching safe location, I called 911 to relay what little information I could recall. I didn?t know what I had hit or even where it was. That evening, half a dozen motorists struck the same hazard before authorities arrived on the scene.