Will "Smart Vehicles" and their marketing cause more crashes

[rhagfo]

I will start this post with quotes from the 2017 F150 post.

spoon059 wrote:

rhagfo wrote:
We have already seen deaths due to people not turning off their engines when parking in the garage!

I think that has more to due with driver error/stupidity than an auto feature.

Its kinda like the "Runaway Toyota's" from a couple years back. Turns out that it was DRIVER ERROR. Drivers weren't properly securing floormats, which got underneath the accelerator and caused the accelerator to get stuck. Rather than put cars in neutral, they continued trying (unsuccessfully) to mash on the brakes. Didn't work.

mich800 wrote:

rhagfo wrote:



Yes, I do understand the concept and reason, I see a wrongful lawsuit in some car makers future because of this feature.
We have already seen deaths due to people not turning off their engines when parking in the garage!

Death from stop/start. Are you sure you are not confusing push button start. I have not heard of one death blamed on the stop/start function.

First of all let me say I am not anti technology, just one that asks "What If"!
I installed the Factory Curse Control on my 1968 Mustang GTCS in 1969 to control the lead in my right foot. Great option saved me far more than the $75 for the factory kit.
That said much of the marketing around much of the new technology seems to encourage bad driving habits! While not all marketing demonstrates these devices poorly, many do with drivers doing everything BUT driving while behind the wheel!

Used correctly most if not all will add to road safety, BUT for those that think these will allow them to focus their attention on things other than driving just scares me to death.
I travel a lot for my work, and rent many new cars with these features, some great some not so great.
One that I liked but was also annoying was a parking assistance that started beeping as you got closer to objects, well at the house we stay at here in Ireland while visiting the Granddaughter there is a tight gate and arch to the parking area. So every time through the beeper would go off, glad the car this time didn't have it!!

[Halmfamily]

It is inevitable that smart cars will be driving us around in the near future. It will take time to replace the older cars so that eventually all cars will communicate with each other and create a safer driving environment.

On the other note just ask the guy whose Tesla drove itself into the side of 18 wheeler because it could not decipher the white side of the trailer from the sky, oh nevermind he died.

[toedtoes]

I think the problem is more the combination of "smart cars" and "dumb cars" on the road. The smart cars will be able to anticipate the actions of other smart cars, but when you add people in the mix it becomes unpredictable and that's where accidents will happen. And a "smart car" is only going to be able to avoid that unpredictable behavior some of the time.

We tend to look at science fiction and movies for our future ideas, but we only see the "final product" not the years of development and the problems associated with it. There's a long way to go before we can read while the car drives.

[ScottG]

Self driving technology isn't all encompassing. These cars still have steering wheels and a driver is responsible for its operation. If road conditions are bad and it cant find its way, it wont continue to operate aimlessly.
It's not intended to let the driver curl up in the back seat and take a nap while going down the road.

[mkirsch]

Oh there are people dumb enough, and they will scream bloody murder when they do end up in the ditch.

[bid_time]

ktmrfs wrote:
DW and I were driving after it snowed here. with snow on the road the lane markers are gone. wonder how well the self driving cars work with no lane markers. I know that most or likely all the cars with any feedback on lane departure rely on lane markers. and GPS is not accurate enough to keep you in a lane.

If someone is that dumb to use the self driving feature while it is snowing, they deserve to be in the ditch. Technology is not meant to replace the human brain. You need to engage the brain first.

[ktmrfs]

DW and I were driving after it snowed here. with snow on the road the lane markers are gone. wonder how well the self driving cars work with no lane markers. I know that most or likely all the cars with any feedback on lane departure rely on lane markers. and GPS is not accurate enough to keep you in a lane.

[4x4ord]

hone eagle wrote:
Smart phones are the cause of way WAY more crashes then smart cars.

I agree. Maybe when the cars get smarter people will be able to safely play with their smart phones while "driving".

[Gonzo42]

I think we can expect to see some crashes where the programmers did not expect or foresee a situation. Upgrades will come in to cover those as they crop up. The media may sensationalize these crashes. No new technology works perfectly "out of the box".

[hone_eagle]

Smart phones are the cause of way WAY more crashes then smart cars.

[bid_time]

In order to meet CAFE standards auto manufacturers have to open and look behind every door, window, and crack to increase fuel mileage. Nothing is off limits. Reasonable standards make for reasonably equipped vehicles. Over the top standards make for over the top equipped vehicles. Better get used to it.

[2112]

Thanks for not high jacking the other thread.

That discussion was leaning towards the Toyota floormat issue, of which I will comment on. My SIL had a 2003 Lexus that experienced unintended acceleration (UA) having nothing to do with the floormat or sticky pedal. It was not human error on her part and Toyota knew it.

Over a period of two years she experienced UA three times. She concluded it could happen if she drove for over four hours without turning the car off and accelerate at highway speeds without the cruise control engaged. She would slightly accelerate, not floor it, to pass a slower vehicle but when she backed off on the accelerator the vehicle continued to accelerate for a few seconds before decelerating.

After the second episode she took it to Toyota. After keeping the vehicle for three weeks they said the pedal was sticky and they fixed it. About six months later it did it again so she took it back. Toyota said they wanted to keep her vehicle and offered her a great deal to upgrade so she traded the car in.

Toyota knew in 2005 they had an unexplained issue.

Fast forward to 2014 when THIS comes out AFTER the NASA findings. Note that NASA did not have access to the CM source code.

Considering that it only happened to her after driving for several hours I would place my bet on stack overflow and/or CPU overload.

I also want to point out she has not had any issues with her 2006 Lexus that she still drives with over 200K miles and counting.

[johnleo1232]

Indeed, self-driving technology is not all-encompassing. Despite the advanced capabilities, these vehicles retain steering wheels, and the driver remains responsible for their operation. In challenging road conditions or instances where the vehicle struggles to navigate, it won't persist aimlessly. It's crucial to recognize that self-driving features are not designed to allow the driver to disengage entirely; rather, they serve as advanced assistance, ensuring that the driver remains actively engaged and vigilant. The intention is not for the driver to curl up in the back seat for a nap but to collaboratively enhance the driving experience with technology.Automotive industry software