What is Digg?77 Comments
- FortyCaliber, on 10/11/2007, -2/+37I don't like the idea of a car applying the breaks for me... That takes control of the vehicle away from me. I might want to brake longer to give the ***** behind a larger stopping buffer to keep him from hitting me.
As long as we have the option to disable those features, I don't care. The free-market will level the cost of anything. - youngandwise, on 10/11/2007, -2/+19Hmm, personally, if you need any of these features, please do us all a favor and stay the ***** off the road, or stop driving like an idiot. Check your ***** side mirrors and blindspot for christs sakes, the next time one of you ***** idiots runs me into the next lane im gonna throw a mcdonalds cup into your damn car.. Yield to ***** ramp are you blind? No you can not ***** get in front of me after you drive all the way up the exit lane to pass stopped traffic, Please stop riding my ass and yes im saying "*****" when i look at you through my rearview... WTF you can turn right on red and can you please not block the middle of the ***** road trying to turn left kthx... OMFG go or get out of the ***** left lane you idiot....geez sometimes i wish i had an rpg strapped to my civic
/end of road rage
Next thing will be safety features implanted in our brain for our own safety.. No thx - crankycookie, on 10/11/2007, -2/+19Not only that, they're bitchy and mean.
- Khabi, on 10/11/2007, -0/+12Agreed there are times where its safer to just swerve and hit the gas to avoid the accident. If I'm stuck as a passenger even when I'm driving my car thats not good
- choppinbroccoli, on 10/11/2007, -0/+11Well said. As much of a geek as I am, I can't help but miss the days when superfluous technology wasn't so pervasive. Sure, it is great to have windshield wipers that automatically turn on and radar controlled speed control, but why can't I just have a car where the focus is more on putting me in control of a responsive, well-built driving machine, than distracting me from the ever-decreasing build quality with shiny technology.
- Clemson, on 10/11/2007, -2/+12Sport utility vehicles with stability control are involved in 67 percent fewer accidents than SUVs without the system, while the likelihood of fatalities is reduced by 43-56%. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Stability_Control)
There's something to be said about intelligent automobiles... - unusualbob, on 10/11/2007, -0/+10the drivers or the cars?
- youngandwise, on 10/11/2007, -1/+9if your'e digging me down you're most likely one of the ***** who make the roads dangerous
- jhnewt, on 10/11/2007, -2/+10This feature would also really get in my way for those cases in which I want to speed up and ram the car in front of me.
- JBlaze, on 10/11/2007, -2/+9Just like you
- SilkSteel, on 10/11/2007, -3/+10What they NEED to do is stop making it so damn easy for every idiot jo-shmo to get a license here in the States. People don't realize that driving is an activity in itself.. not something you're doing while putting on your make-up or blabbing with a phone held to your ear. Laws in European countries for obtaining a license are far more restrictive; consequently there are far fewer idiots present on their roads.
- jeffeb3, on 10/11/2007, -5/+12"I don't see why we have to take cars to such extremes now... "
Maybe because 45,000 people die in car accidents in the US every year... - dclowd9901, on 10/11/2007, -1/+7That seatbelt alarm is enough to drive me batty. "GIVE ME A ***** SECOND, I JUST GOT IN!"
- Khabi, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6"Maybe because 45,000 people die in car accidents in the US every year.."
Actually when you take out motorcyclists and pedistrians (Both would get no help form this automatic crash avoidence crap) it drops to about 35,000
http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/
And now (I have no sources to back this up, just from my common day to day driving) if there were stricter rules about who can get a license, and a mandatory retest after you hit a certain age, I would bet you that number would drop a considerable amount. (maybe another 10-15k a year).
Personally, I'd rather go retest then give control of my car over to a computer. - mygrayarea, on 10/11/2007, -2/+8And considering how technology oriented digg is, I find it ass backwards that so many reject new technology, safety and efficiency.
There's this road near where I live it's 25 miles absolutely perfectly straight, no entrances, no exits, two lanes in either direction divided, strict speed limits, heavily police patrolled. The perfect example of a perfect road. Yet for some reason people die all the time on this road. The reason is people are ***** idiots. They can't even not kill other people on a simple straight road. And because of this fact people shouldn't be allowed to drive. PERIOD. Bring on the robots chauffeurs. - choppinbroccoli, on 10/11/2007, -0/+5Next time you go driving, carry these with you. Some of them are truly hilarious.
www.roadrage.com - razrielle, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4I find that using my cruise control that i get better gas milage
- orxor, on 10/11/2007, -1/+4Some people actually enjoy the act of driving.
- rarson, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3"There's something to be said about intelligent automobiles..."
No, I'd say there's something to be said about how bad most people are at driving. Except, unlike mygrayarea, I'd rather allow competent people the chance to actually drive. - alienfubar, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Although I agree completely that I do not like the car applying brakes.. I do love my stability control system I have added on my miata. I can turn it off if I want to peel-out or otherwise race, but for daily driving and rain I keep it on. I have taken several hard turns and had it come on to keep me on track. The system works well where it is needed (on city streets in traffic) but I can turn it off when I want to get wild.
- orxor, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I don't know why you're getting buried. You're absolutely right. My written test 11 or so years ago consisted of 10 questions, one of which was "What do you do at a red light?" Even if I got that question wrong and answered every other one correctly I would have passed. Because of that the average drivers here have no concept of who has the right of way, that bicycles do in fact belong on the road and not on the sidewalk and don't tail gate me 'cause if I down shift to slow down and you won't see any brake lights. The test should make sure the person knows about the different kinds of vehicles he/she might be sharing the road with (trucks, bikes, motorcycles, auto/manual transmissions) as well as the laws and regulations.
- mehan, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3x2 about the infinitis.
- xero9, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2Nothing worse? How about the sound of the cash register ringing up your piece of ***** Valentine 1 that can't figure out the difference between someones cruise control and a cop?
And actually I find people who don't use cruise control annoy me.. I catch up to them, only to have them decide to go a little faster. Can't seem to maintain a set speed. - debtman7, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I'm torn on these things... I've started riding a motorcycle, and doing so really forces you to pay attention and drive defensively as you quickly learn that a lot of people driving cars are not paying attention and drive right into you. Anything that would keep someone from merging into me on the freeway is a good thing in my book. Anything that would keep someone changing tracks on their ipod from rear ending me at a stoplight is good. If they could find a way to keep a car from pulling a left turn in front of me I'd find a way to make it required by law...
On the other hand, anything that causes drivers to feel even more secure and less required to pay attention is only going to cause problems. This stuff really needs to be properly marketed and explained, otherwise you'll end up with the ABS situation where people think it helps them stop faster. It doesn't, it allows you to continue steering while stopping. It actually makes you stop a little slower. Likewise, someone thinking that their radar system means they don't have to check the mirrors or do a head check before merging, well that's going to bite them someday when they change lanes quickly or the system goes on the fritz.
I think it will be interesting to see how these things all work. Ideally it would be better just to make everyone more aware while driving, and force them to be safe defensive drivers, but I don't see anyway to actually do that... - tnvwboy, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2@choppin
The problem isn't 'drivers' it's the people who are supposed to be driving but instead are reading the paper, talking on the phone, putting on make-up, etc.
I DRIVE when I'm in my car, I like the control of my manual transmission and aggressive breaks, but even I sometimes get distracted and for those times I wouldn't mind a radar system letting me know that I should put my foot on the break and then do so for me if I'm unable.
As the article suggests, this is largely untested technology. The woman putting on her make-up or guy texting on his phone isn't going to stop and drive with or without this technology. However with it the inevitible rear-ending they are going to cause becomes less likely. - cawpin, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2@jeffeb3 - That's because Darwin has been concentrating his efforts on cars. We've taken every other way away from him.
- mygrayarea, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2@rarson
Yeah I did read that and what he said was that anything beyond seatbelts and unleaded gas is considered an extereme to him. Which sounds like something from the freaking stone age. Wake up to the 21st century people. I don't think people should be allowed to drive. In the future if you want to kill other drivers, there will be private tracks for that. But for now any technology that improves driver awareness is a good thing.
"But beyond that, I don't see why we have to take cars to such extremes now..." - desqjockey, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Autopilot FTW
- cawpin, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2It is for precisely your reason, which I share, that I HATE throttle by wire, steering by wire and brake by wire. Adding electronics to a mechanical system only increases the failure rate.
- meldroc, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3Could these features be the first baby steps towards a car autopilot?
I'm looking forward to the day when I could get in my car, tap the destination into the car's navigation system, hit the "Drive Me There" button, then open up a book and read while the car drives itself.
But yeah. The technology in these active safety systems does need human-factors work, otherwise some people will think that the car's systems can be used as a substitute for good, alert, defensive driving, and the safety advantages will be negates. - mygrayarea, on 10/11/2007, -3/+4"...and make my laser dector freak out"
Good. - mehan, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3are you really that lazy that you can't use your pedals? my gadget doesn't annoy other drivers on the road, does it? yours sure does.
- techsmack, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3Seems like it will teach laziness and allow more distractions behind the wheel. Even if baby steps to autopiloting - are we the crash dummies?
- Aokami, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I can't wait for carhacks...
- akatherder, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1That reminds me of Bart driving through a corn field.
- Kinsbane, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I blame Volvo.
Their latest gadgetry in their vehicles sickens me. It sickens me to think they promote laziness in our drivers when we need the exact opposite of that.
Don't worry about that car in front if you; the car will let you know when you're getting close.
Don't worry about that car in your blindspot you should see with your own eyes; the car's side mirror will let you know when you're getting close.
Active safety = inactive drivers. - srodolff, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1"Another benefit: The wireless communications that carry crash-avoidance systems' warnings are also the backbone of future "intelligent transportation" systems that will allow cars to communicate with each other and the road, probably within 10 years."
Two words.......I, Robot. - jefree, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Don't buy these cars that take away your own control over the car. it's starting to get like driving a windows operating system. leave me alone and if you put in an auto feature than I expect to be able to modify how it operates.
- Misaiato, on 10/11/2007, -5/+6One example for me (why I like this tech potentially) is my wife. We met and married in Japan where she didn't have a license because public trans is excellent - I bring her to America and start teaching her how to drive - I've almost lost my lunch more than once. I would love the peace of mind that a car which will brake for her - she's still a beginner - and although she passed her test and can drive on her own - I still worry about her. My mom told me once that she felt this way about me and still does. I've been driving for over a decade and my mom still thinks of me as a beginner. I think a lot of parents would like this tech for their kids. If some news story comes out about a person who almost was hit by a car but the car's systems engaged the brakes because the driver wasn't reacting in time - there will be much celebration of the technology.
- kd1s, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1The car could probably spell brake better than you can. However, it's inevitable.
We've put all the passive safety features that we can. Now the only unknown and unpredictable element left is the human being. Over the next decade or so we'll no longer drive our cars, they'll drive for us. Do you think the DARPA Grand Challenge is exclusively for military use? No it isn't since many of the sponsors are auto makers.
And remember the first DARPA Grand Challenge? Nobody completed the course successfully but the year after several teams did. I suspect this year the urban challenge will be a bit tougher but the one thing they learned is that GPS isn't the be all to end all. - 883XL, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I'm just worried that people will become too dependent on these "active" safety features, Volvo's blind spot warning system, and develope poor driving skills like failing to do an overhead check. What happens when there's a fault in the system and the car fails to give a warning?
- kd1s, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1But then you'd have to drive through the cloud of debris. I used to want a device that would vaporize the idiot and his car until my boss pointed out the concept of vacuum electroplating.
- vertinox, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1@jeffb
I wouldn't doubt by 2015 (if someone wins the Urban Grand Challenge this year... I bet Stanley will again) we'll have purely autonomous cars for this issue alone. People won't like it at first and their will be technological issues to overcome, but in general a computer could drive better than the average driver can due to the fact it never stops paying attention.
I mean...
A computer doesn't talk on a cell phone.
A computer doesn't turn around in their seat to yell at their kids.
A computer doesn't get distracted by the hot blond in the convertible next to them.
A computer doesn't drink and drive.
And a computer doesn't spill hot coffee all over himself while trying to merge...
Face it folks... We suck at driving! The only solution is to hope that the entrepreneurs do come up with fully autonomous solutions. - VeganG, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I'm sure the auto makers see this technology as protecting themselves from liability when accidents occur, but all it's going to do is GUARANTEE them liability when in the times when it doesn't work.
- jhnewt, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I'm in ur Mercedes, hittin ur brakes.
- razrielle, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I miss having powersteering, and a/c but it gives me better gas milage without both of those
- acdcfanbill, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1i still don't want to upgrade because expensive-to-replace power everything pisses me off :(
- HarryBauzonia, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1"Well, guess what. You should."
Spoken like someone who's never experienced work on a farm.
Come on down Vegan. I'll put you to work hauling new posts out to a mile of fence and we'll see if you get tired of constantly fastening and unfastening the damned thing to alternately unload posts and drive 5 MPH over grass. - mygrayarea, on 10/11/2007, -3/+3I sit in traffic and look around at hundreds of other drivers all just sitting there, not getting any work done, being completely unproductive. Imagine the hundreds and thousands of hours we've all wasted on just sitting there watching a light, a dial, turning a knob pressing a pedal - all mundane boring repetive tasks any machine could easily perform.
But for now any system that gives the driver greater awareness of the road around him is a good thing. - Quintios, on 10/11/2007, -3/+3buahahahah... I'm going to make sure to use the laser cruise control more often now. :) Maybe you should just drive the speed limit and turn off YOUR electronic gadgets...
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