Seat 'lane assist' ad -are driving standards now THAT bad..?

[Ari]

Devil2575 said:

Excellent, except funadamentally incorrect.

We are not breeding out intelligence. On the contrary we are becoming more intelligent as standards of education improve.

Lane assist, ABS and all the other safety features out there do not act in such a way as to replace an intelligent function that the driver is performing. Driving itself is not a task that requires an especially high level of intelligence.

They are not there for that, I agree, but can you really not see that this is how they will be used? People are easily enough distracted as it is. Automate important jobs they should be doing (like steering) and it WILL get worse.

I'm actually all for the properly automated 'car of the future' that is in the Volvo film. That would be a marvellous thing and a massive boost to road safety.

But we are clearly far from there, yet people have cars that will steer and brake for them.

I think you're being staggeringly optimistic if you think that people will remain alert to what they are doing when they perceive that they no longer need to be.

[Ari]

Devil2575 said:

I think the problem is that people currently don't stay alert, hence the development of lane assist systems. Driving along long straight roads even without any such safety features fitted to a car is monotonous and uninvolving. Lane assist doesn't mean that people don't need to stay alert, it simply helps deal with the fact that they currently don't.

I totally agree with that and do understand the theory. And used this way it's probably a good thing (although I have to say that in nearly 30(!) years of driving I've never wandered out of lane and not noticed I was doing it).

But I come back to the same thing. Give people a car that 'steers itself' and they'll no longer feel the need to concentrate on what's in front of them. The car's steering - wonder if anyone's replied to that Facebook post with the photo of my dinner on?

[Ari]

Devil2575 said:

Indeed

I've had a couple of moments where I wandered out of lane due to drowsiness. Thankfully nothing bad resulted but it could have. I guess I'm not a driving god like some people on here are.

You're coming at this the wrong way. You're suggesting that people driving whilst too tired should be given assistance. You might as well argue that people that drive far too fast should be allowed to use blue lights and sirens as that would also be safer.

Technology already exists to warn drowsy drivers that they are tired and should stop. Coming up with technology to help them continue is counter productive.

Oh, and the patronising 'but I'm not a driving god' platitudes don't help your argument.

[Ari]

Devil2575 said:

I'm suggesting that everyone will drive when they are too tired at some point probably unintentionally. I didn't get into my car after 3 hours sleep or try to stay up for 24 hours, I simply went through a mid afternoon low point I started to drift off. Thankfully I caught myself and pulled into a service station for a 15 minute nap.

This isn't technology to help them continue on their way, this is technology to prevent an accident when the inevitable happens and give them the warning so they can pull over safely.

I don't care if you think my comment about not being a driving god helps my argument one little bit. Maybe if there was a little bit more humility on PH and less people who genuinely considered themselves to be immune to mistakes there would be less silly topics like this one started in the first place.

So far better to allow the sleeping driver to continue undisturbed at 70mph and fingers crossed on his behalf that there's no stationary traffic ahead than to alert him to the fact he's nodding off/wake him if he does so?

What genuinely bizarre justification.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/s...

[Ari]

foggy said:

These systems aren't all about letting you drive on further and further when you know you really should be taking a break to rest and refresh. They support the driver by attending to some of the monotonous aspects of driving along a relatively well regulated stretch of road where vehicles are travelling in a consistent fashion, great for regular busy traffic motorway travel. Go drive a few thousand miles with the systems so rather than consider them as techie gimmick for 5 minutes where you watch and feel their activity, just relax with them and almost forget about their background activity so you can both get on and be at your best.

Which is great, really it is.

And I'll just have a very quick peek at my emails. Ooh there's one from my most important customer, I'll quickly tap out a reply. I wonder what's on Facebook? Ohh great, a new funny cat video...

Obviously YOU won't do this. Prepared to bet your life no one else will..?

[Ari]

Devil2575 said:

Ari said:

So far better to allow the sleeping driver to continue undisturbed at 70mph and fingers crossed on his behalf that there's no stationary traffic ahead than to alert him to the fact he's nodding off/wake him if he does so?

What genuinely bizarre justification.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/s...

It would be a bizarre justification if that was what I had said.

I didn't say that though did I.

Nice use of a straw man argument though.

You're suggesting a car that steers itself is a good thing in case the driver falls asleep, I'm suggesting a driver alert system that warns him he's getting drowsy and avoids that situation might be better. No 'strawman'.

Anyway, we're going round in lane assisted circles here so I'm bowing out. The advocates claim it's a convenience feature that definitely won't be abused by our conscientious careful UK drivers (if only because there's been no official study so they can't, somehow) or that it is a safety feature so the car carries on down the lane if the driver nods off. Very safe.

I'm suggesting it is VERY open to abuse by those who will see it as a car that 'drives itself'.

Not much more to be said.

[Ari]

ensignia said:

There are many pig headed simpletons on here, but few have managed to show themselves up as badly as Ari in this thread.

It's just best to let him get on with it, angrily mumbling to himself in his Ford Orion that things aren't how they used to be and that the men of today are a bunch of poofs with their jeans and haircuts, and letting a computer tell them how to drive. Merry f**king Christmas!

Oh look, bless you tappity tapping away on your dads big computer and telling off The Man On The Internet like a boss!

Happy 'f**king' Christmas to you too little fella, and if your mum takes you to the park on Boxing Day to ride your shiny new bike, the first time you take your hands off the handlebars, instead of 'look mum, no hands' you can shout 'Look Mum, Lane Assist!'