I had a hire Toyota in the US with all the aids, and it got covered in caked on snow which had a similar effect.
@iainc - see this quick video https://youtube.com/shorts/eNcw8MmxxNU?feature=share
^^^ thanks
Its a pain in the arse ! I have a new Octavia VRS estate and the Mrs has a new Scala Monte Carlo and we have just got used to living with it turned on.
Its a pain in the arse ! I have a Octavia VRS estate (new in Jan) and the Mrs has a 6 week old Scala Monte Carlo and we have just got used to living with it turned on. It's too much of a hassle to keep going into the menu to turn it off every time.
Possibly dumb questions.
I assume that the car will record when lane assist is turned off and this could be accessed in the case of an accident.
Is it likely that turning it off will make you be seen as contributing to the accident.
Also, if it's on and steers you into something as per the comments about not always picking up lanes accurately, this would also be recorded so you would be able to claim against the manufacturer.
Is there any data anywhere that suggests lane assist has led to a reduction in injury accidents?
And of course has it contributed?
It seems like it's been around long enough to give some indication
Possibly dumb questions.I assume that the car will record when lane assist is turned off and this could be accessed in the case of an accident.
Is it likely that turning it off will make you be seen as contributing to the accident.
Also, if it’s on and steers you into something as per the comments about not always picking up lanes accurately, this would also be recorded so you would be able to claim against the manufacturer.
How often are there actual proper forensic investigations into collisions? Genuine question, I don't know the answer myself. I mean, fatals, yes but even then isn't it just a case of "was the driver drunk / on the phone...?" rather than a deep dive into the car computer system. Do they even have journey records, black box style?
Surely the more minor stuff with no injuries is just "let the insurance deal with it" and most of the time they just settle up and let the industry manage it in terms of premiums...?
I think claiming against the manufacturers would be near enough impossible. Ultimately the driver remains in control of the vehicle and none of the systems are severe enough to physically yank you back into the lane, it's just an annoying tug on the wheel.
Possibly dumb questions.
No.
I assume that the car will record when lane assist is turned off and this could be accessed in the case of an accident.
No.
Is it likely that turning it off will make you be seen as contributing to the accident.
No.
Also, if it’s on and steers you into something as per the comments about not always picking up lanes accurately, this would also be recorded so you would be able to claim against the manufacturer.
No.
I assume that the car will record when lane assist is turned off and this could be accessed in the case of an accident.
No.
Yes. Sorry, you’re wrong. Modern vehicles contain an event data recorder and the items recorded include driver support systems.
In a serious collision this information is made available to the police. If you have a Tesla you can get the data yourself after an accident.
In fact when I bought a new Volvo a few years back I had to sign a disclaimer to confirm that I understood this.
Also, if it’s on and steers you into something as per the comments about not always picking up lanes accurately, this would also be recorded so you would be able to claim against the manufacturer.
No
It's only a matter of time before there's a class action lawsuit (or action by the transport authorities) in the US against some manufacturers dumb implementation of "driver aids"...
Lane assist doesn't 'steer you into things' as above - it just resists your steering line a bit. It feels weird at first but you get used to it. In fact, in my car it won't do anything if you don't have your hands on the wheel - so if you have your hands on the wheel, you are the one steering.
One of the hire cars I had with lane assist certainly steered you back into the centre of the lane if you drifted and did nothing. It actually turned the wheel to stop you crossing the white line with a fair amount of force. You could override it of course by being firm on the wheel but left to its own devices it did steer the car
Yes. Sorry, you’re wrong. Modern vehicles contain an event data recorder and the items recorded include driver support systems.
In a serious collision this information is made available to the police. If you have a Tesla you can get the data yourself after an accident.
In fact when I bought a new Volvo a few years back I had to sign a disclaimer to confirm that I understood this.
OK, I didn't know that.
In the event of a collision, what would be the consequences of turning off completely optional driver aids?
I really dislike lane assist, but I’ve only ever driven a small number of cars that had it fitted, and those were around six years ago, when I was driving for BCA, and those were all sorts of fleet/lease vehicles, so not so common then. I have had a chance to drive a few cars with regenerative braking since, and as someone who drives a semiautomatic, I love it. With my old diesel Skoda, I could drive miles without touching the brakes, just using the (manual) gearbox and engine-braking, but that doesn’t work with my Ford’s little EcoBoost; lifting off the accelerator the car just carries on rolling, so I have to keep dabbing the brakes to keep a safe distance. A regenerative system that gives something like engine-braking with a semiautomatic is something I would love on my car.
Its a pain in the arse ! I have a Octavia VRS estate (new in Jan) and the Mrs has a 6 week old Scala Monte Carlo and we have just got used to living with it turned on
@pacemaker75 Depends what you mean by menu, but you can turn LA off on the steering wheel/dash display, much more responsive than the main screen, which can take an age to boot. Two button presses (third to bring the rev counter back, although this will appear after a few seconds without intervention)
Of course the other horrible function that cannot be turned off in modern cars is left foot braking.
Many cars these days make it impossible to left foot brake as if you press the brake and accelerate at the same time it cuts all engine power 😞
I first noticed this ‘feature’ on VAG cars, but it has spread. Luckily not all BMW’s have it yet though
In the event of a collision, what would be the consequences of turning off completely optional driver aids?
Genuinely don't know. My guess would be that it would be considered negligent to a degree.
Cougar
....
Riddle me this,Outside of, say, police cars, why do headlights have any settings at all other than “auto” and “on”? There’s a logic to turning off some assist systems in exceptional conditions but under what circumstance might you think “it’s really dark, best turn my lights off”?
Cougar, matt_outandabout, multi21
I found heavy snowfall is one exceptional conditions where having headlight settings other than "auto" and "on" can help safety, if the driver is curious enough to try different settings to see what works best for the conditions, and sensible enough not to accidentally turn the lights off completely by mistake (ask me how I know!).
I've had cars with fog lights for years, and they did not seem significantly better than the headlights in fog (I suppose marginally better in heavy fog). Then one day, I was driving in the dark with heavy snow falling. I tried turning the fog lights on, and the light switch from 'headlights and rear lights' to 'sidelights and rear lights'. My goodness: I could see objects at three times the distance! It was a massive improvement.
So yes, it is worth having being able to turn headlights off when moving: I think it reduces the glare reflected from falling snow (and heavy fog). Even day running lights might give too much reflected glare.
Not a perfect solution. The advantage of fog lights being low is that most of the light is not bounced back by fog or falling snow; it carries to objects, to reflect back and show you the scenery. The disadvantage of fog lights being low is that over crests, or if the road is uneven; the road blocks the light, and you can't see anything lower than the tops of trees!
“Depends what you mean by menu, but you can turn LA off on the steering wheel/dash display, much more responsive than the main screen, which can take an age to boot. Two button presses (third to bring the rev counter back, although this will appear after a few seconds without intervention)”
I have had the car since the end of Jan and used the cruise/speed limiter many times, but some how managed to miss the tick in the lane assist box above them up to now…
Thanks for the heads up and I think a trip to spec savers must be in order !
I’ve had cars with fog lights for years, and they did not seem significantly better than the headlights in fog (I suppose marginally better in heavy fog). Then one day, I was driving in the dark with heavy snow falling. I tried turning the fog lights on, and the light switch from ‘headlights and rear lights’ to ‘sidelights and rear lights’. My goodness: I could see objects at three times the distance! It was a massive improvement.
Yeah, I've done this a couple of times over the years too.
But as I said earlier, can the car not determine this as a condition and react accordingly? Or if we do have a manual override (perhaps linked to the fog light settings), why not "really dim" rather than "off" then you're at least visible.
Many cars these days make it impossible to left foot brake as if you press the brake and accelerate at the same time it cuts all engine power 😞
You can blame Toyota for that.
Brake Override Accelerator was a feature in a few cars until Lexus had those run away cars in the late 00s(?) now all cars have to have it.
They all do it in a slightly different way though. Some have delays so you can left foot brake, some just kill the power.
Who on earth needs to left-foot brake in a regular road car in the 21st Century? Do you double declutch as well, bit of heel-and-toe maybe?
Good heavens.
the car should work for 100% its drivers
try telling that to many women when cars are designed around an ‘average’ man and present some significant problems to getting the right position: seatbelt adjusters too high; controls at weird distances; mirrors that don’t turn in enough; …
https://www.wired.com/story/caroline-criado-perez-invisible-women/
Who on earth needs to left-foot brake in a regular road car in the 21st Century?
I don't get that one either. On the track to keep the engine responsive, maybe, but on the road...
Do you double declutch as well...
Yes, smoother gear change when you're happy with the speed but want a lower gear to match for flexibility
...bit of heel-and-toe maybe?
No
When I did the scottish ambulance driving assessment they wanted to see a throttle blip on downshifts. Not a true heel and toe or double declutch but they wanted to see the throttle blipped as you passed thru neutral on downshifts
When I did the scottish ambulance driving assessment they wanted to see a throttle blip on downshifts. Not a true heel and toe or double declutch but they wanted to see the throttle blipped as you passed thru neutral on downshifts
Which decade was this in.
2010 ish. I thought it weird at the time considering 30 years before I was told by my driving instructor not to change down sequentially and to slip the clutch on downshifts to smooth the shifts out but here they wanted a sequential downshift and a throttle blip in neutral
@tjagain that’s the System of Car Control developed by the police and used by ambulance services. They separate out braking and gear change in to different phases. Set your speed <span style="text-decoration: underline;">then</span> get your gear. The lower gear will require higher revs, not blipping the accelerator but allowing some revs to balance it out and make it smoother.
Ta. - I was just surprised thats what they wanted to see. Because I can double declutch I ended up double declutching from muscle memory which I was not marked down for IIRC
Yes no heel and toe - they wanted to see the braking and gear shifting done separately and sequential shifting
Its quite similar to doing clutched downshifts on a motorbike but very different to how I was taught in a car
It’s only a matter of time before there’s a class action lawsuit (or action by the transport authorities) in the US against some manufacturers dumb implementation of “driver aids”…
Teslas FSD already has several class action lawsuits against it.
One of the hire cars I had with lane assist certainly steered you back into the centre of the lane if you drifted and did nothing. It actually turned the wheel to stop you crossing the white line with a fair amount of force. You could override it of course by being firm on the wheel but left to its own devices it did steer the car
This is one of those grey areas, some manufacturers treat Lane centring as literally that, just keep an eye on the dashed and solid lines and nudge and/or warn the driver in some manner when they drift, depending on which line they are approaching, some have upgraded and integrated it with the ACC to give a basic level 2 autonomous drive. And then you have all the permutations and combinations between the two that you could imagine.
A regenerative system that gives something like engine-braking with a semiautomatic is something I would love on my car.
A) you need something to generate the resistance B) you need somewhere to put the energy or C) your fuel consumption will take a pounding. (Some cars use smart alternators to charge the 12V battery during coasting, light hybrids (48V) also do something similar, but a bit more advanced.)
Got our velle serviced today and was given an absolutely brand new (43 miles on the clock) skoda %instantlyForgetgableSmallPretendySUV% with VWs latest implementation of lane assist almost permanently enabled.
What an absolute stinking pile of dog faeces that is. Grabbed the wheel as it detected overbanding or recently blasted-off lane markings through roadworks. Would happily direct you into parked cars rather than let you pull out to the centre of the road to avoid them. Whinges incessantly should you attempt to adopt any form of road positioning other than in the centre of the lane at all times. Truly dangerous $hite. A totally distracting step backwards in safety.
Yep, I have a meeting with the various other drivers on the National Championships tomorrow about turning the whole bloody lot off every time you turn the engine on.
Having Lane Assist, auto brake etc in the middle of a bike race with other cars and riders in close proximity including on the wrong side of the road is a recipe for disaster. 😳
I tested the Lane Assist feature on my 68 reg Prius today, out of curiosity. Its just operated via an on/off button on the steering wheel, and I knew that it beeped a bit if it saw the car drifting out of lane at a reasonable speed, cos its done that a few times in the past. Itll let you drift across at 'slow' speed without getting arsey, eg just pulling round parked cars in town, theres presumably a threshold speed above which it comes alive.
Rather to my surprise, it did actually gently pull me back into the left lane, left to its own devices with hands off. But if i persisted in moving across with a hand on the wheel, there was no sudden jerk, no 'force' or pull on the wheel at all. Just a bit of beeping and a couple of lights in the headsup display, presumably designed to wake you up.
Having Lane Assist, auto brake etc in the middle of a bike race with other cars and riders in close proximity including on the wrong side of the road is a recipe for disaster. 😳
This was being talked about when i was on the regional committee, 20 years ago... How do we switch it all off.
This was being talked about when i was on the regional committee, 20 years ago… How do we switch it all off
Not a lawyer but isn’t this the sort of thing for which you need a manufacturer safety bulletin with step-by-step instructions? There’s lane assist, which can be switched off, but the core system will continue to run in the background and might reactivate if it thinks crossing the white lines will lead to a head-on collision or the vehicle leaving the road.
Gaffer tape over the camera might be a better option, or pop the cover off and unplug.
