Cars in some ways are too coddling, giving people a false sense of safety. All these new features like lane keeping and blind spot warnings make people drive with reckless abandon.
Maybe the one thing I could see is people letting go of the steering to do something thanks to lane assist, but those same people were thigh-driving before, and I might trust the system more…
I’ll agree with this, that my mild annoyance at being 2mph slower than I want to be is greatly reduced by adaptive cruise control. Which means my following distance is nicer and I’m less likely to bother to change lanes.
Biggest thing is that it doesn’t begin slowing down for traffic ahead like I would like it to, and I don’t trust it enough to see if it even would, but maybe that much engagement is good to make sure I don’t get too complacent.
Also, mitigating the mind numbing monotony of hours on a freeway. The wheel naturally staying in the center (lane centering, not lane keeping) does a lot for keeping me feeling more well rested on a longer trip.
It’s easy to say that it’s the same thing with aviation: every time something bad happens, we have to improve the technology and introduce safety features to planes.
Yet it’s surprisingly easy to forget that that’s only a small part of the entire safety process. They also improve pilot training. They set new requirements for infrastructure. New rules for air traffic control.
When I look at a lot of traffic accidents, I usually don’t say “wow, a new car safety feature would have saved the day” but “why were these people given a licence again?” or “what were they thinking when they designed this bit of road?”
I’ve seen people over rely on bad lane assist and just kinda ping pong from side to side in their lane. It’s… kinda stupid.
Also, what’s the deal with the side mirror light that turns on when someone is near? My car has a small convex mirror attached to the standard one and I can see my blind spot quite clearly.
My car has a camera on the sides that shows the lane where the speedometer/tachometer are when I turn on a signal. In addition to the mirrors, lights, audible alerts, etc. All very helpful.
I once got into a wreck, in the leftmost/passing lane on the interstate, because the asshat in front of me slammed on his brakes at the exact moment that I was checking my blind spot to move over. I’dve much appreciated being able to keep my eyes forward.
Cars in some ways are too coddling, giving people a false sense of safety. All these new features like lane keeping and blind spot warnings make people drive with reckless abandon.
They were driving with reckless abandon before…
Maybe the one thing I could see is people letting go of the steering to do something thanks to lane assist, but those same people were thigh-driving before, and I might trust the system more…
I drove much more conservatively since getting a car with these features.
I.e…im more likely to just go a steady speed behind someone with ACC on, whereas before I’d be passing frequently.
And in general, it makes driving in heavy traffic far less draining. Oh it’ll worry about pulling up and stopping constantly for me? Yes please.
I’ll agree with this, that my mild annoyance at being 2mph slower than I want to be is greatly reduced by adaptive cruise control. Which means my following distance is nicer and I’m less likely to bother to change lanes.
Biggest thing is that it doesn’t begin slowing down for traffic ahead like I would like it to, and I don’t trust it enough to see if it even would, but maybe that much engagement is good to make sure I don’t get too complacent.
Also, mitigating the mind numbing monotony of hours on a freeway. The wheel naturally staying in the center (lane centering, not lane keeping) does a lot for keeping me feeling more well rested on a longer trip.
I don’t think these politicians are thinking about this, but some of these safety features really are masking the lack of driving skill in the US.
It’s easy to say that it’s the same thing with aviation: every time something bad happens, we have to improve the technology and introduce safety features to planes.
Yet it’s surprisingly easy to forget that that’s only a small part of the entire safety process. They also improve pilot training. They set new requirements for infrastructure. New rules for air traffic control.
When I look at a lot of traffic accidents, I usually don’t say “wow, a new car safety feature would have saved the day” but “why were these people given a licence again?” or “what were they thinking when they designed this bit of road?”
I’ve seen people over rely on bad lane assist and just kinda ping pong from side to side in their lane. It’s… kinda stupid.
Also, what’s the deal with the side mirror light that turns on when someone is near? My car has a small convex mirror attached to the standard one and I can see my blind spot quite clearly.
You can see your blind spot if
Blind spot monitoring helps alert you in case you didn’t
My car has a camera on the sides that shows the lane where the speedometer/tachometer are when I turn on a signal. In addition to the mirrors, lights, audible alerts, etc. All very helpful.
I once got into a wreck, in the leftmost/passing lane on the interstate, because the asshat in front of me slammed on his brakes at the exact moment that I was checking my blind spot to move over. I’dve much appreciated being able to keep my eyes forward.