Technology Breeds Idiots??!!

[Duncan]

I have to share this with you guys

All weekend here its been threatening to rain bucket loads and today towards late afternoon it started raining cats and dogs.

So driving home on the highway, I kept to a low speed, just like most of the other people on the road. We must have been doing a steady 60km/h when a guy in b/new Range Rover Sport flies past the rest of us on the second lane. He went so fast, made the rest of us look like we were standing still.

After a while we came across a traffic build up bringing us to almost stand still. As we slowly made our way, I could see the same Range Rover that flew past us, parked in a very precarious way on the cantre island. Getting closer, I noticed that the Range was actually on its side.

I am not actually sure as to what happened, but one thing for sure, the driver lost control over the vehicle, it aquaplained, hit the centre island and then tipped over. I could also see that that section of the road had more water collected than anywhere else.

Some fellow motorists had stopped and helped the driver out of the stricken vehicle. No injuries it appeared. Except a damaged ego I suppose. Now here is the best part.....he was on his cell phone explaining to someone on the other end what happened. Part of his conversation went like this....."it wasn't event fast, I was sticking to 140 when I lost it. I thought the traction control on these things were state of the art". On hearing this I really wanted to get out and beat the crap out of him. But then again I decided not to.

As I drove away I could not help but wonder how stupid people are becoming with all the electronic gizmos in todays vehicles. These idiots must think that all the gadgetry is making modern vehicles invincible!

This idiot is lucky that nothing happend to him or anybody else. But it could have been worse.

Cheers

Duncan

TeamAutolanka

[isurujosh]

I also consistently notice that Colombo mercs and the beemers run so fast without a care in the world on rainy days... well they have that extra re-assurance, and they can reliably count on it upto a certain extent I guess.

[fuzzo]

in SL , its just a road race when it rains.. everyone gets in the biggest hurry to overtake...

[Nozozo]

Hi duncan, your heading best describes what's to be said.

" push the throttle system does the rest" type systems can never control idiotic brains

[Mean Green z28]

Same thing happens here when it snows ... people in 4x4 SUV's think they're invincible ... NOT!!! I've heard of plenty of stories of SUV's that got stuck in the snow than regular cars. WHY? 'cos eveyone else has the brains to drive cautiously when it's slippery ouside. All the 4x4 does it get you to a higher point of no return.

That's what I think of the latest electronic crap ... they just help you get out of the smaller (more controlable) stuff but leave you hanging with no return (than a trip to the Hospital or morgue) when they actually go out of the 'safe' region.

I know people (and myself) who although have traction control and ABS in their cars preffer to drive with them turned off 'cos they are in better control of thier cars. ABS is a bit helpful in the rain/snow but traction control was a waste of time on our performance cars. They're more for people who don't know how to control their right foot ("oh my god, I was making a sharp turn in the snow and mashed the pedal all the way to the floor and the car went out of control ... why???") ... to end my rant, what good is a good launch without tire smoke???

[GihanFX]

is there are any special tyres for SNOW ? and if the answer is yes what is the advantage ?

[Mean Green z28]

is there are any special tyres for SNOW ? and if the answer is yes what is the advantage ?

Yes, snow tires have a different tread to handle the snow better. Don't qoute me on this but, they work differently than mud tires as in they actually run better when they get packed with snow ('cos the best traction is attained by snow against snow), while mud terrain tires work by slinging mud away from the tread and keeping them unclogged. This is the reason why snow tires have more grooves in them (and regular tires have more contact patches 'cos they work in the warm weather to grip the road). Snow tires are also able to keep they're rubbery properties in lower temps than regular tires that get real hard when cold.

errr ... for more info, go to tirerack.com ... lol

[Devinda_Z]

it was either this thread or "The Future of Motoring" - just for kicks i thought i'd plonk it here

Sensitive Cars Are No Fun

Many of the new gizmos installed in modern cars are needed not because of design faults, but because of driver deficiency. Perhaps it's time to rethink

The steering column of the new Lexus HS 250h sedan is equipped with an infrared camera that reads your face while you drive—detecting whether you are watching the road. David Dewhurst/Lexus via Bloomberg

Review by Jason H. Harper

(Bloomberg) — Warning: You may soon find that your car is taking over for you.

Lately I've been testing more and more automobiles that seem at times determined to outsmart me and in some cases partially drive themselves. Many of these autonomous features are safety-minded, though some are a bit silly or simply wrongheaded.

Then there's the car that watches you while you drive it. Creepy.

From Lexus and Mercedes to Infiniti, many new models boast multiple cameras and radar sensors. One can alert you to other cars in your blind spots, another will shake you awake when you're distracted and one even hits the brakes if it thinks you're headed for a crash.

The least-intrusive and most-helpful of these are blind-spot monitors. Since my first experience with the clever technology, on an Audi Q7, I've found similar systems on cars from Ford, Jaguar, Mazda and Land Rover.

If another car is lurking in your blind spot or approaching alongside at speed, when you put your blinker on, a warning light embedded in the side-view mirror will flash (and sometimes set off a beep or gong).

Rear Window

This is especially helpful in vehicles with sloping roofs or thick "C" pillars that obscure rear views, thus allowing you to keep your peepers on the road.

The 2011 Infiniti M sedan will actually steer you back into your lane if it detects movement into the path of another car. Whether you want that level of electronic intervention is your business. Call me a control freak, but I prefer to keep my fate in my own hands.

Unfortunately, many of the new gizmos are needed not because of design faults, but because of deficiencies in ourselves. We bring our multi-tasking lives inside our cars, and car makers must find ways to make up for all the texting, eating, makeup-applying and radio fiddling.

Not to go all dad-like on you, but we wouldn't need these pricey options if we had better driver education in the U.S. or, you know, just paid more attention. One of the fundamental glories of driving is the act of taking control of a 4,000-pound piece of machinery and the attendant responsibility that comes with it.

Laser Alert

Instead we get the Volvo XC60's "City Safety" system, which at speeds under 20 mph will actually stop the car completely when an optical laser senses an impending bang-up. So feel free to text in rush-hour traffic with impunity.

Better, perhaps, is the Mercedes-Benz "pre-safe brake system" found on the new E-Class. It first sounds a warning if you're approaching another car too quickly. If you fail to respond ("Where's that hard-rock station anyhow?"), it will begin to slow the car and pre-load the brakes—at that point even a half-hearted application of the pedal will engage the brakes fully. Many drivers don't use the 100 percent potential of their brakes even in accident situations, and Mercedes's system makes up for that.

Lane-departure warning systems are also more common. Some are subtle and welcome, such as the one in the E-Class in which the steering wheel lightly tremors in your hand if you stray over a lane without using a turn signal. Others, such as Infiniti's lane prevention system, actually brake an outside wheel to actively pull you back into the lane.

Just Stop It

The latter system drives me crazy, especially in congested cities like New York, where the dotted line is more a suggestion than an imperative. (Blind-spot sensors also tend to go crazy in clusters of cabs.)

Ever feel like you're being watched? You're neither paranoid nor delusional if you're inside several Lexus models, including the new HS 250h sedan. It's got an infrared camera on the steering column that reads your face, constantly checking to see if you're looking forward. If you aren't and other sensors detect a possible collision, a warning chimes.

Like the Mercedes, the monitor is linked to a system that will prepare the brakes for 100-percent effectiveness.

Or how about sensors worthy of the Cold War? BMW 7 Series has available Night Vision. The GPS navigation screen doubles as a monitor that shows the world as ghostly images of black and white and glowing heat signatures from cars, humans and animals. It'll even warn if a pedestrian is headed into your path. Neat, though also in keeping with BMW's tendency toward technological overkill.

Lastly, there are the cars that really do drive themselves. Or park themselves, anyhow. Lexus offers an Advanced Parking Guidance System which I tested in the LS 460 L luxury sedan. It required a really large space and was nearly as complicated as learning to parallel park in the first place.

Ford has jumped into the fray with its own system, found on several new Lincoln models and the Ford Flex.

Certainly much of this technology is crafty, and some of it may even make the roads safer. Still, I find some of it vaguely unsettling. You did see "I, Robot," right?

(Jason H. Harper writes about autos for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this column: Jason H. Harper at [email protected].

Source : http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/conte...position=link20