Park assist... Is that really what it looks like?

[RAM]

Does this "smart technology" keep the driver from falling asleep again? Or, is there a system-activated voice to tell the driver to pull over and stop driving? Recent news stories describe the dangers of so many drivers failing to use their turning signals. I am leery of having automobiles become so automated with technology that it could potentially allow drivers not to focus their full attention on driving. [pun not intended]

Karen

BGE: Yes, as many times as you start to fall asleep the car will sense it. There are different systems in cars that have this technology. One system had the seatbelt nudging you to wake you up....other systems sounds an alarm and puts a message up on the dash that says it's time for a break with a cup of coffee displayed... Oh, and the turn signal works with the lane departure system. If your car is drifiting out of its lane without a turn signal the lane departure will warn you about it. It's kind of like having an automated nagging back seat driver!

[RiverGirl]

I think you have it confused, Harold. Women like “a mustang”, not the Mustang.

-Agi <----Woman

Well now I'm confused. This woman likes mustangs. Both the horse kind and the car kind. The former, have been thrown off of into the dirt. The latter, well I never get compliments but that pretty pony of mine gets them all the time. And yes, with the latter I've gotten a speeding ticket. LOL

[alphalady61]

Is it just me, or does the idea of a piece of machinery having so much control creep anybody else out?
Do we really want our cars taking care of us so much? Heaven forbid there are any glitches! Can you imagine?
Kathy (Teach) [an old-fashioned girl]

[RAM]

Is it just me, or does the idea of a piece of machinery having so much control creep anybody else out?
Do we really want our cars taking care of us so much? Heaven forbid there are any glitches! Can you imagine?
Kathy (Teach) [an old-fashioned girl]

Teach...Now you've really hit on some of the main issues with automotive technology! Just like they got us all to carry around a GPS that tracks our every move (some call it a cell phone), now the cars we drive also track a lot of things. If your car is newer than say the mid 90's, it has some form of the black box technology. Cars have had on-board computers since the 80's but they are really becoming more technologically sophisticated every year. Did you know that your car can actually testify against you in a court of law??? Yep, they are allowed to "harvest" data from your car's black box which records many things like braking, acceleration, speed, etc... To me, this is a real privacy issue, but I guess the court can subpoena that data be collected as evidence.

Everybody is so into technology that they forget to question such things. Then, what happens when a software error causes you to have an accient? Can you sue the auto manufacturer??? Well, you can try, but believe me, from years of working product liability investigations, it's next to impossible. The big auto companies are represented by the best product liability attorneys money can buy. They have to protect their stock holder investments. They cannot admit to even one defect because they probably have the same defect in the other 27 million copies of the same vehicle thay just built... Anyway, you get the picture...

[sillyme]

I'm now rethinking a car that will drive itself. Maybe not such a good idea after all!

Francesca

[BGE_Quilter]

BGE: Yes, as many times as you start to fall asleep the car will sense it. There are different systems in cars that have this technology. One system had the seatbelt nudging you to wake you up....other systems sounds an alarm and puts a message up on the dash that says it's time for a break with a cup of coffee displayed... Oh, and the turn signal works with the lane departure system. If your car is drifiting out of its lane without a turn signal the lane departure will warn you about it. It's kind of like having an automated nagging back seat driver!

RAM,

Thanks for the additional information. Personally speaking, I still prefer to be responsible for driving a car. Sharing the road with sleepy or inattentive drivers is scary, and sharing the road with drivers jolted awake by alarms and messages may be frightening as well. Their reactions to being startled by alarms may cause havoc.

Karen

[alphalady61]

As with anything, I can see the good points and the bad points to having so much technology in our automobiles. However, it concerns me when we have to start dealing in ethical issues. While I can appreciate that the auto industry wants to keep me safe (and protect their own liability), I'm still just fine with taking care of my own safety while in a car. Karen brought up issues I hadn't even thought about.
We as a people are really good at solving problems while at the same time creating greater ones. At what point do we say enough?
Kathy - Teach [who failed at parallel parking and doesn't even bother attempting it]

[Kon'sMuddyWoman]

Although, I've found a recent fascination with a Michael..............Michael Fassbender.

I am trusting, Gayle, that you've seen Shame? Amazing movie.

Tom Cruise drives me nvts. There... I said it.

THANK YOU.

I agree about the fun of driving! Nothing better than a winding road, a big motor, and a stick shift to get the adreline flowing. Today's cars...most of them anyway (excluding Mustang, Challenger, Camaro, and Vette), are so smooth and easy to drive that they're boring! Back in the day (in my street racing youth) cars were extremly fast and dangerous. In retrospect, that's what was fun about it. Nothing like street racing a 1970 440 Challenger 4-speed...you could smell gas, brake fluid, and burning rubber...Ohhh,, Ohhh, Ohhh!!!
It was so fun because you really had to know how to drive just to keep that darn thing on the road, and to stop it when the race was over! It was dangerous and that's why it was exciting! Today...not so much...in the words of Pink Floyd "We've all become comfortably numb"

This is, like, the BEST thing I've read here in a while. Granted, I've been out of the loop for a month, but I thought I was accidently tooling around in the Top Gear forum. And I agree with you, Ram. I just test drove a new Camero for kicks and I didn't find it impressive at all. I felt absolutely no connection with it, in spite of the fact it was a manual transmission. Give me an older car any day.

I think you have it confused, Harold. Women like “a mustang”, not the Mustang.

-Agi <----Woman

Whoa, Woman. This woman prefers THE Mustang. 'Twas my first, in fact.

I'm now rethinking a car that will drive itself. Maybe not such a good idea after all!

I'm with you Francesca. Too much technology scares me a little bit. I suspect my sat nav has made a deal with some unsavory creature as it sometimes lures me into unwanted places.

~Laura

[Michelle]

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Agi, relative to your comment about cars driving themselves...we are much closer to that than you may think. Cars today are loaded with smart technology. Things like Lane Departure and Blind Spot warning systems. There are automotive systems that can sense if the driver is falling asleep and wakes them up. There are systems that can see the road ahead and adjust the vehicle's suspension accordingly. The average car today has over 20 on-board systems controlling everything from fuel economy to braking to steering. I believe some day in the future people will be saying things to their kids like "at one time people had to actually drive their own cars around!" "Can you imagine?"

I hope not Ram.. I form a relationship with my cars....well my favs anyway. had a gold Grand Am...probably always be my fav....fell in love at first sight....called her The Queen..cried when she left me....now have a pretty Saturn....actually call her Saturn....like her pretty well too...VERY dependable...I actually like driving...I do alot of it and find it enjoyable...hopefully if we do get so advanced cars can drive themselves..we still will have some that won't...

[RAM]

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I hope not Ram.. I form a relationship with my cars....well my favs anyway. had a gold Grand Am...probably always be my fav....fell in love at first sight....called her The Queen..cried when she left me....now have a pretty Saturn....actually call her Saturn....like her pretty well too...VERY dependable...I actually like driving...I do alot of it and find it enjoyable...hopefully if we do get so advanced cars can drive themselves..we still will have some that won't...

Michelle, look at the bright side...now "The Queen" can actually have a conversation with you Another plus...in the near future, your car could actually be your designated driver!