Towing Safety Tech

Rover_Bill wrote:
No matter how many gadgets you have and how advanced they are, they are not going to stop the jerk in front of you from doing something stupid. It's best to pay full attention to the road and be prepared for anything to happen.

They may not stop the jerk from doing something stupid but if he randomly slams on the brakes, the computer is more likely to react in time to an unexpected stop.

This doesn't relieve you from paying attention but it's better in just about every way.

Some of the items listed shouldn't be a distraction. If you are wandering out of your lane, a warning is not a distraction, that should be a primary focus. Adaptive cruise actually reduces distractions.

Some of the items listed are low priority. TPMS, Rear Cameras, mapping programs...they provide benefit but don't need to be constantly monitored except in specific situations. Sure, if you are changing lanes, check the rear camera but just cruising down the road, it's not a high priority.

No matter how many gadgets you have and how advanced they are, they are not going to stop the jerk in front of you from doing something stupid. It's best to pay full attention to the road and be prepared for anything to happen.

As a prior Control Operator in Power Plants I had 100's of gauges, recorders, annunciator alarms etc
One had to trust the instrumentation
BUT one could easily get 'information overload' and miss the real picture

I drive defensively...towing or not
Like 'rhagfo' I prefer to pay attention to what is going on in front/behind me using my eyes and instincts vs gadgets that can be distracting

Adaptive cruise, lane departure, and collision avoidance w stop might be OK...just have to get accustomed to. Sorta like when first using Cruise Control
Those features should not be a distraction

The best tech besides more filling distance is to look further down the road in front of you. While I also pay attention to the vehicle in front of me I scan the entire road about 1/4 mile down the road. Also check mirrors often.

The downside is, like the Tesla owners in recent crashes, drivers letting the car do all the decision making while the driver takes a nap and rear-ends a cop.

Perfect example is our airliners that do everything from takeoff to landing yet they still crash and lives are lost. Automation doesn't necessarily make things better.

My car has adaptive cruise and I like it. The Winni View I ferried today has adaptive cruise and I like that. But is it removing me from driving and paying attention? Is it making me a better driver?

Every airline pilot is there with a boatload of professional training. Even the weekend pilot in his Cessna has professional and recurrent training. Most every car/RV driver has had no professional training other than from mom and dad or the salesman. In Arizona a person gets their driver's license at 16 and has no further involvement with DMV until their 65th birthday. Professional training? Recurrent training? Huh? My RV company made me get a CDL with an airbrake endorsement to drive all the RV's we sell. The CDL wasn't hard to get but passing all the tests did require serious study. My CDL must also be renewed every 5 years. Should the everyday driver have the same same standard as a CDL? It's a start.

I think that before we automate cars, trucks, and RV's we first train the drivers to a higher standard. Professional training with re-current training just like in aviation. If people had to go through what a pilot has to endure 1) we wouldn't have so many drivers (gridlock would also go away) and 2) the drivers we do have will be a more mature and capable driver. It won't make the roads perfect but it will make them substantially safer. Then, perhaps, we might consider some automation.