Repair-It

Untold billions in R&D and production when all we need is better driver training. Today, the US effectively has none at all. That got us pretty far but enter the distraction age and it's no wonder safety system development and adoption has seemingly exploded.

An entire segment of the industry (and the government) sugar coating it for bad drivers: "you aren't the problem, you just need to have this specific safety feature that we are offering."

We are working our way toward automation as a safety feature to protect us from ourselves.

Time to go watch Idiocracy again and recoil in horror.

I don't understand why this can't be mandated. If a phone is moving at more than 15 mph, only the phone and GPS apps work, or something like that (Unless in airplane mode, or some other caveat). All new phones have GPS and can determine if you are moving at car speeds.

I know you guys hate mandates but I would rather my phone force texting to be disabled while driving than be forced into a self driving car or hit by some idiot texting. I really think forcing the function to be disabled is the only option. clearly this isn't a training thing. People have been told not to text, the signs are everywhere and there are fines for it.

Another option could force a hands free jack or Bluetooth if driving, by disabling the phone's functionality otherwise.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/the-end ... 18CA63CDEC

Pretty good read.

I like the levels shown at the bottom of the graph. Feet off, hands off, eyes off and finally, real automated driving: mind off.

Let's see...we had cruise control when, 1950s probably? Pretty common by the 70s though not standard even decades later. This stuff can take time depending on some variables. But I mean I grew up with a 1983 Caprice wagon that had cruise and while that was a fairly high line vehicle at Chevrolet, it was not a luxury car. It would only be a year or two later that they added the "modern" ability to accelerate 1 mph at a time. The point is, by the 80s cruise was probably at least optional on just about everything.

I think there is a missing milestone....feet off gas, yes. But feet off brake with the adoption of radar adaptive cruise. This started in, what, the mid 2000s? It was a pricey option on an already pricey STS in 2005 (mine doesn't have it). Systems later (and currently) will bring the car to a complete stop in traffic if need be. My system would only apply a max of ~50% braking and not bring you to a full stop.

Shortly after that we had the lane change stuff, coming to the STS as early as 2008 (yes, the lights in the side mirrors that are getting more common were available on the STS back in 08!). Many systems were passive (just alarms, like the first generation STS system) but soon they would actually intervene to keep you in the lane. It was a bit of a pogo effect so not designed to actually steer properly, just prevent you from drifing into another lane, oncoming traffic or a ditch...

The STS also had some kind of active steering system available in the ~08 timeframe that added active control of steering inputs in the event of an out of control situation. This was a rare system as well. By the time the economy took a complete dump, the STS was basically a full blown luxury car (that was sized between the 5 and 7 series). Oh well.

Also, shout out to other computerized technology such as anti-lock braking and traction control which dates back to the 1970s initially, and then the 80s and certainly by the 90s. Stability control was 90s, and even late 90s from GM. What these systems have in common is the ability to do things to individual wheels that no driver could otherwise accomplish with a single gas and brake pedal. You had primary control of the car, but the computer was attempting to make the car do what you were asking.