New auto safety tech - do you use it?

[GalaxyBoy]

I didn't see this article from last year mentioned in the thread; forgive me if I missed it.

https://newsroom.aaa.com/2018/09/drivers-rely-heavily-new-vehicle-safety-technologies/

More and more, drivers are recognizing the value in having vehicles with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) like blind spot monitoring systems, forward collision warning and lane keeping assist. However, while many of these technologies are rapidly being offered as standard, many drivers are unaware of the safety limitations of ADAS in their vehicles, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. For example, researchers found that nearly 80 percent of drivers with blind spot monitoring systems were unaware of limitations or incorrectly believed the system could accurately detect vehicles passing at very high speeds or bicycles and pedestrians. In reality, the technology can only detect when a vehicle is traveling in a driver’s blind spot and many systems do not reliably detect pedestrians or cyclists. Lack of understanding or confusion about the proper function of ADAS technologies can lead to misuse and overreliance on the systems, which could result in a deadly crash.

These systems are intended to supplement the driver's abilities, not supplant them. For example, the lane keeping assist is there to help me keep the vehicle centered in the lane, not to allow me to put my hands anywhere but in a normal position on the wheel. The warnings are there to help me be a better driver, not to let me take my brain out.

If I want autopilot, I'll buy a Tesla.

 

[Sunset]

... my 2014,.....

Love my backup camera and use it every time. .. I can better see the sides as I'm backing out of a spot.

I use cruise control whenever I can to reduce fatigue, and keep my speed from varying too much, especially when I pass someone......

+1
When backing out of a parking spot, the camera can see cars coming before I can get out far enough to see them, so it's great.

I drove across the country once without cruise control, hard to keep the same speed and the leg gets tired after 600 Miles !!
Now I cruise along.

 

[JoeWras]

The concern list starts growing to the point I see a growth market in antique cars:
* data uploads that you can't turn off
* driver monitoring cameras (cameras in the cab watching/recording you, not the road)
* "right to repair" firmware licensing rules - your factory dealer becomes the ONLY place you can take your vehicle.
* voice command to monitor your conversation... that tech isn't self-contained in the car (or home), the voice recognition is done on a cloud server.

These issues, and more are a real concern. I like the safety tech, but not this part. You can be sure a lot of data is already being monitored on people's smart cars. Heck, the garage door companies already know when you are home or not.

I went ahead and cut my seat belts off! Who wants those things?!

Oh! Those bad old days of the 70s! I remember when mom and dad extended the belt from the spool retainer, rolled it up, tied it off and left it against the spool retainer so that the car thought it was extended. This turned off a light and buzz.

I'm glad to say near the end of their lives, mom and dad eventually started wearing their belts. They converted.

 

[JoeWras]

For DW's birthday, I got a retrofit backup camera for her old little hatchback.

She loves it! No wonder they made these things mandatory on every vehicle.

The retrofit is neat. It is wireless from the back to the video display. The display is contained in the rear view mirror. You just pop off the old mirror, and put in this one. The video comes on only when backing. The mirror works fine otherwise with no hint of the hidden screen.

The hard part is mounting the camera (using the license bracket). Gotta wire to the rear backing lights to power and activate the camera.

A nice setup for a little over $100.

 

[Sconie]

I use about half of the safety features in our Subaru Outback----a 2019 Touring model with Subaru's EyeSight. Mostly I use &/or like the adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance features----the lane keeping assist and lane departure features being pretty much useless.

The worst "new tech experience" that I've had was with my (then owned---since sold) 2015 Chevy Malibu, which came with the automatic stop-start technology. The stop-start technology stopped working and, inadvertently, would not let the vehicle be restarted----even if the feature was deactivated-----something that baffled even the dealership. Well, long story short, the problem did eventually get resolved-----after my wallet was "lightened up" by my local authorized "stealership"------to the tune of almost $1400.00

 

[RetireRay]

Any comments from Tesla owners?

As a driver of a 2002 Toyota Highlander, and in the market for a new car with modern features, it’s interesting to read all the comments. Subaru and Honda are brands I’m looking at. However, I recently started to look at Tesla’s and am impressed with their safety and over the air updates, which constantly improve the car. Are there any Tesla owners reading this thread which can let us know how well the Tesla safety features are working for them (lane assist, auto pilot, etc)?

Thanks.

 

[msanniee]

Love the technology on my car

Bought a new car last year. Love and use the technology all the time. I honestly feel that I am a safer driver by using everything that my car has.

Did take me a few tries to get use to the backup camera, but don't know how I lived without it before.

 

[audreyh1]

I’ve really been enjoying the adaptive cruise and steering assist in our latest rental car. Plus being able to turn on the front camera when parking.

The lane assist detects if you don’t have your hands on the wheel and warns. I enjoyed following a car to a stop sign on a country highway and the car braked beautifully. Very impressed!

Overall, I would say driving is much less fatiguing with these smart features.

 

[zippy2020]

I researched SUVs for 18 months before pulling the trigger on a 2018 Ford Edge Sport.

I wanted very specific safety features:
- ABS/stability control (pretty much standard on all SUVs these days, thankfully)
- Easy to use infotainment/NAV system. Too many of them are clunky, awkward, and more irritating than useful.
- Auto-sensing headlights
- Blind spot warning
- Lane assist monitoring; e.g., driver can choose auto assist or a 'warning' vibration
- Absolutely, under no circumstances, NEVER EVER, stop-start system that could not be turned off
- Front cameras, 180-degree
- Rear cameras, 180-degree
- Adaptive cruise control

There were other "must haves" but those are the safety/tech features on my list. It has Parking Assist but I haven't used it - I never had any trouble parallel parking anyway, and the Sport has phenomenal handling and literally turns on a dime.

I have no regrets about paying for those features. They are FABULOUS. Now when I drive cars without the new tech, I think to myself, "Gahhhh, how did I put up this for all these years?!?"

LOL!

 

[Nick12]

Auto safety techs - more problems that can and will go wrong to a car. I have a back up camera but I still turn my head when I back up. Do the kids rely on the gadgets to parallel park Daddy's vehicle during the drivers exam?

 

[Midpack]

Auto safety techs - more problems that can and will go wrong to a car. I have a back up camera but I still turn my head when I back up. Do the kids rely on the gadgets to parallel park Daddy's vehicle during the drivers exam?

If the new safety tech didn’t provide any benefit, but there are benefits.

By your logic, a 1950’s car would be better since there’s less to go wrong?

 

[Nick12]

If the new safety tech didn’t provide any benefit, but there are benefits.

By your logic, a 1950’s car would be better since there’s less to go wrong?

Safety benefits yes to a point. 1950's?? Wasn't even born yet and what type of a question is that?

 

[NoMoreJob]

I bought a 2019 Mazda CX-9 last fall with lots of tech. I like that Mazda's is a driver-centric company so I have a great deal of control over how or if I use it. Generally I like the tech and I use much of it most of the time but I don't like the idea of relying on it completely. For example, I receive warning beeps and lights in the side-view mirror if a vehicle is in my blind spot but I'm unwilling to trust that completely, so I still installed blind-spot mirrors. I rely on the mirrors first and let the car remind me if I forget to look or miss something in the mirror. My philosophy is that the best driving is a team effort between the human and the 'smart' car and the team will always perform better than either by themselves.

On the other hand there are some things I don't particularly like. I still have the adaptive cruise control turned on but find myself not driving as smoothly as I would without it. That's because it slows me down and then I have to spend time and effort making a clumsy merge to pass when otherwise I would have thought further ahead and done it all in a more planned manner. I may very well end up disabling that feature (which I can in the settings menu).

Other things like auto-dimming headlights I usually leave off but turn on in specific situations, like when driving on rural (lightly traveled) highways.

I really like the back-up camera with cross-traffic alert, 360 degree camera, and even the automatic braking (I've never had it kick in but I have gotten a big BREAK! notification on the HUD a couple of times).

As far as I'm concerned the car companies can keep improving the tech but give me the the ability to choose how or whether I use it.

 

[Caskem]

Auto tech

We bought our 2017 Subaru precisely FOR the advanced technology. As we age, those options really help!

 

[marko]

Thought I'd add something to the thread.

Despite begging her to upgrade, Mom (age 90) holds on to her 27 year old Toyota Corolla. She doesn't drive far but drives everyday about 1-2 miles.
She asked me this morning to go and make her twice-a-year gas fill-up as the gas station is further than she likes to go.

I had never driven the car before; it is in great shape but....

O.M.G.!

Talk about death-defying. No back up camera, no keyless start, no keyless entry, no beeping to tell me I was too close to the fence, seat belt retractors no longer work, there was not even a clock on the dash. I dared not try the radio.

I suddenly realized how far car technology has come over the past 30 years and how much we take for granted; especially that back up camera.
I kissed the steering wheel of my new Mercedes once I got back, happy to be alive.

 

[Blueskies123]

Thought I'd add something to the thread.

Despite begging her to upgrade, Mom (age 90) holds on to her 27 year old Toyota Corolla. She doesn't drive far but drives everyday about 1-2 miles.
She asked me this morning to go and make her twice a year gas fill-up as the gas station is further than she likes to go.

I had never driven the car before; it is in great shape but....

O.M.G.!

Talk about death-defying. No back up camera, no keyless start, no keyless entry, no beeping to tell me I was too close to the fence, seat belt retractors no longer work, there was not even a clock on the dash. I dared not try the radio.

I suddenly realized how far car technology has come over the past 30 years and how much we take for granted; especially that back up camera.
I kissed the steering wheel of my new Mercedes once I got back, happy to be alive.

My 92-year-old father is the same way except he only drives a few times a week. A few years ago his car would not start because the gasoline had gone bad (water condensation). I found a gas station near him that sells non-ethanol gasoline and I have him add gas stabilizer.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Our cars don’t have any of those features. My Toyota Corolla 2008 still has a key-no remote. Oh the horror of it)

 

[marko]

Our cars don’t have any of those features. My Toyota Corolla 2008 still has a key-no remote. Oh the horror of it)

The point I was trying to make was how dependent I've (we've?) become on things like backup cameras, proximity warnings and such.

I actually had to turn my head and twist around (vs just using the camera and mirrors) in order to back her car up and even then I almost hit the fence. One just gets used to things and forget how helpful they are.
I'm really unable to twist around easily without hurting myself so the camera is a God-send to me.

 

[ncbill]

Thought I'd add something to the thread.

Despite begging her to upgrade, Mom (age 90) holds on to her 27 year old Toyota Corolla. She doesn't drive far but drives everyday about 1-2 miles.
She asked me this morning to go and make her twice-a-year gas fill-up as the gas station is further than she likes to go.

I had never driven the car before; it is in great shape but....

O.M.G.!

Talk about death-defying. No back up camera, no keyless start, no keyless entry, no beeping to tell me I was too close to the fence, seat belt retractors no longer work, there was not even a clock on the dash. I dared not try the radio.

I suddenly realized how far car technology has come over the past 30 years and how much we take for granted; especially that back up camera.
I kissed the steering wheel of my new Mercedes once I got back, happy to be alive.

I've enjoyed driving my recently-deceased relative's ~25-year-old Camry enough that I'll probably buy it from their estate to use as my daily driver.

Though it does have a clock on the dash.

 

[HFWR]

Does a three-on-the-tree, no power steering/brakes, crank windows, no a/c, non-retractable lap belts, and an AM radio count? (First car was a ‘62 BelAir...)

 

[Walt34]

Does a three-on-the-tree, no power steering/brakes, crank windows, no a/c, non-retractable lap belts, and an AM radio count? (First car was a ‘62 BelAir...)

I hear ya. My first car was a '56 Plymouth Savoy. Didn't need no stinkin' seat belts back then. It had Armstrong steering, "4/60 A/C" (four windows down, sixty mph) and most of the crank windows worked. I did have to put in the AM radio though since it was delivered without one and the previous owner(s) never saw fit to correct that. It did have the optional heater and windshield wipers though.

ETA: Oh, it also had a manual choke.

 

[aja8888]

My BMW convertible has no backup camera, no beeps for getting too close to things, etc (it does have seatbelts, though), and it quite fun to drive. It also has a clutch for your left foot to use! Somehow, I am fully capable of driving a car with "old tech" and not hitting things.

 

[EdL3]

Absolutely love ALL of the safety features. Heads up display and lane assist come in especially handy at night and in the rain when it is harder for me and DW to see.

EdL3

 

[RobbieB]

I love Android Auto. I have no fear of going where I've never been before. I love being re-routed around slow downs. I love just speaking where I want to go because google knows.

 

[ziggy29]

The one technology I don't want to do without any more is the backup camera. I like the blind spot monitor, too, and the sensors that tell me I'm getting really close to hitting something. I bought a 2018 Prius Prime plug-in hybrid last year, and it has a LOT of new tech, maybe half of which I use. I want to like the cruise control that slows down to maintain a safe distance, but I worry that I'll become reliant on that to the point that when I engage cruise control on my wife's car, I will forget that I have to brake.

I always have to remain mindful, though, that technology sometimes breaks and we still need to know how to do it all "old school" (yes, including driving a stick, even though I haven't done that in 15 years!)