Modern safety systems and badly placed speed limit signs.
Discussion
Driving along at 70 mph perfectly legally on the M25, then suddenly your car slows, by itself, to 40mph.
Quite a hazard, when following vehicles without the same safety systems continue at 70 mph.
This photo shows the reason for what happened.
An advanced driver might steer on to the hard shoulder to avoid possible rear end collisions, although Lane Assist might not permit that manoeuvre.
It has been turned off in our car for three years due to the same issue.
There is even a safety alert from national highways about use of speed signs in roadworks causing this issue:
https://www.highwayssafetyhub.com/uploads/5/1/2/9/...
There is even a safety alert from national highways about use of speed signs in roadworks causing this issue:
https://www.highwayssafetyhub.com/uploads/5/1/2/9/...
It’s unfortunate nobody in government (that I’ve heard) seems to be looking at this seriously and critically.
They must know it’s bad as a good number of them must use cars with these systems, but they don’t seem willing to allow that this has gone too far.
NCAP ratings were fine for airbags and crumple zones but this is dangerous, yet everyone goes along as though it’s a natural continuation from the above.
They must know it’s bad as a good number of them must use cars with these systems, but they don’t seem willing to allow that this has gone too far.
NCAP ratings were fine for airbags and crumple zones but this is dangerous, yet everyone goes along as though it’s a natural continuation from the above.
If your car is anything like mine, momentarily overriding the cruise control with throttle application (and it's wholly a pedal position thing, so you don't have to accelerate) turns the system off and you don't slow down.
I've turned it off permanently and mine was smart enough to slow down for corners and roundabouts.
I've turned it off permanently and mine was smart enough to slow down for corners and roundabouts.
My eNy1 doesn't slow down, it beeps at you and flashes the speed symbol on the dash. I leave all mine on.
This happens near me, there's a side road with a 20 mph sign that some wag has twisted slightly. I wouldn't want a car that does that!
Lane 'assist' is just that, it's easily overcome.
This happens near me, there's a side road with a 20 mph sign that some wag has twisted slightly. I wouldn't want a car that does that!
Lane 'assist' is just that, it's easily overcome.
There is a stretch of road North of Norwich where locals put up protest signs wanting a 40mph speed limit in a 60mph zone. It showed a 40mph speed sign with wording “we need” above it.
These signs are placed in from the verge but still picked up by my car, which I ignore, and have the limiter switch off. People not aware of this kept getting caught out and slowed down unnecessarily.
Some have now been removed but the speed limit has been officially reduced to 50mph anyway.
These signs are placed in from the verge but still picked up by my car, which I ignore, and have the limiter switch off. People not aware of this kept getting caught out and slowed down unnecessarily.
Some have now been removed but the speed limit has been officially reduced to 50mph anyway.
BlindedByTheLights said:
It has been turned off in our car for three years due to the same issue.
There is even a safety alert from national highways about use of speed signs in roadworks causing this issue:
https://www.highwayssafetyhub.com/uploads/5/1/2/9/...
From which I notice we motorists are considered to be "customers" of National Highways?!There is even a safety alert from national highways about use of speed signs in roadworks causing this issue:
https://www.highwayssafetyhub.com/uploads/5/1/2/9/...
A few months ago I was on a motorway and up ahead there was the biggest electronic speed sign ive ever seen. I must have been visible from space, it was that big.
It said 60 and I wondered if my car was capable of reading such a massive sign?
It read it, and told me the speed limit was now 80.
So clearly whoever coded that, never bothered both any defensive programming. So what other "safety" functions of the car have been coded in such a piss poor manner?
But at least it does handle conflicting information, because where I live, someone had turned a sign round, so the car sees a 20 and a 30 sign at the same time, which means the car displays nothing where the speed limit is displayed.
It said 60 and I wondered if my car was capable of reading such a massive sign?
It read it, and told me the speed limit was now 80.
So clearly whoever coded that, never bothered both any defensive programming. So what other "safety" functions of the car have been coded in such a piss poor manner?
But at least it does handle conflicting information, because where I live, someone had turned a sign round, so the car sees a 20 and a 30 sign at the same time, which means the car displays nothing where the speed limit is displayed.
My car randomly picks up a 100mph limit every now again is makes for an exciting moment when it suddenly pins the throttle. I can't see where it gets it from. I assumed the back of lorries with 100kmh stickers on but it doesn't seem to be that.
There is also a stretch of M1 around Milton Keynes sort of area where it insists the speed limit is 50mph without any road signs whatsoever. I can only assume it's a hang over from the years and years of roadworks. Will be happily going along at 70mph (on cruise) and suddenly jam on the brakes. Now it's not a problem most of the time as a quick prod of the accelerator and progress continues but if someone was heavily tailgating....
There is also a stretch of M1 around Milton Keynes sort of area where it insists the speed limit is 50mph without any road signs whatsoever. I can only assume it's a hang over from the years and years of roadworks. Will be happily going along at 70mph (on cruise) and suddenly jam on the brakes. Now it's not a problem most of the time as a quick prod of the accelerator and progress continues but if someone was heavily tailgating....
In France there are signs with different speeds for different weight categories. Different speeds for rain or dry conditions, and different speeds for the slip roads off the autoroute. In the space of a few km you might see 130, 110, 90 and 70 signs, without the actual speed limit as it applies to you changing.
It's a good job there is a cognizant human in the car as sign recognition doesn't know whether it is coming or going half the time.
It's a good job there is a cognizant human in the car as sign recognition doesn't know whether it is coming or going half the time.
waremark said:
Everyone I've asked switches these ADAS systems off every time they start the car (as I do).
Forunately my car was built just before the ADAS became compulsory.
I understand that post summer 2024, an EU Directive instructed car manufacturers to implement compulsory Driver Assistance Systems and also to make it more complicated and time consuming, for drivers to disable the systems every time the engine is started.
Mr. Clarkson has said he will never buy one of these cars and perhaps jokingly has also said, that when he is given new cars to review, he leaves the engine running at filling stations and is also considering leaving engines running overnight too.
Jon39 said:
waremark said:
Everyone I've asked switches these ADAS systems off every time they start the car (as I do).
Forunately my car was built just before the ADAS became compulsory.
I understand that post summer 2024, an EU Directive instructed car manufacturers to implement compulsory Driver Assistance Systems and also to make it more complicated and time consuming, for drivers to disable the systems every time the engine is started.
Mr. Clarkson has said he will never buy one of these cars and perhaps jokingly has also said, that when he is given new cars to review, he leaves the engine running at filling stations and is also considering leaving engines running overnight too.
'Because safety'.
I don't have ADAS but I agree some of these signs are very poorly placed. The slip road from the M3 westbound onto the M25 northbound is another one that had me confused at first. Passing this 50mph sign at speed, I took it as applying to the road I was on, whereas it actually applies to the main M3 on the other side. 
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