Also Not A1

Unlike Monday's story, this is not about the A1.

Although it does involve cameras.

But not BBC ones.

No, this is about AI - which depending on your font, will look like A1.

This is about the Auto Express story about old enemies Devon and Cornwall (scone debate anyone?) getting together to use AI to view camera footage and catch drivers using mobile phones illegally.

I'm all for this - mainly because I never use a hand-held mobile phone while driving.

Now I just need a motoring story in a day or two about someone called Al.

Feeling Flushed

Now if I was a trendy influencer or Youtuber I'd probably start this story by saying that I'd accidentally dropped my mobile phone into the toilet.

But then I would be telling a lie just for effect.

Although, looking at this photo I found on the Web, it would be fine because there is no water in it.

Anyway, the next thing your Influencer/Youtuber will tell you is that you can dry out electronic gadgets using uncooked rice.

There is actually a bit of debate on this out there but let's assume it is right - can you dry out your electric car if it gets immersed in toilet water?  Or any other sort of water?  Well a trendy Youtuber has tried just that - he bought a water-damaged Audi E-Tron GT for $55000 with a view to drying it out. Un-water-damaged ones sell for $105000 in The States.  His name is Rich Benoit and his video is here.

He is amusing and, as I predicted, he does talk about mobile phones - I started this post before I'd watched the vid.

Anyway, spoiler alert - he succeeds!  He also explains why they could use out-of-date rice - a point missed by the commenter called CC on the drive.com.au story has missed.  He obviously hasn't watched the video and he obviously doesn't get invited to many parties - so won't need the product they suddenly start advertising during presentation.

Pet Patent Pending

Ford do like to come up with interesting patents.

A couple of weeks ago, Fox reported on a Ford patent which involved using in-car drones to spy on autonomous hire-cars.  The idea is to hide an inspection drone in the boot or glove compartment that would be deployed between rides to get a look at the vehicle.

I'd be tempted to lock the glove box.

Today, Car+Driver are reporting that Ford will have a "Pet Mode" - this would be similar to the Tesla version I reported on back in January 2020.

The full patent application is here.

It seems to be controlled by the car key fob.  Surely a mobile phone app would be a better option - otherwise, given all the options available, it could end up looking like this:

The fob instructs a selected group of the systems under the control of the car computer to operate in a specified manner so as to create a comfortable environment for a pet within the vehicle.

"For example, in pet mode, the vehicle computer may cause one or more windows to lower, the sunroof to open the trunk lift gate to pivot open, and the seat backs of one or more rows of seats to tilt or fold down."

I wonder if it will check as to whether or not the pet is under that row of seats at the time.

Apparently it can also check whether or not the pet is inside or outside of the vehicle which is presumably quite useful just after the trunk lift gate has pivoted open.

You will have observed that the pet in question - item 106 in figure 5 - is a dog.  I can't think of any other pet that might be left in a car but they couldn't call it "Dog Mode" for two reasons:

1. Tesla have already got that one.
2. People in Britain would expect the car to take them to secluded car parks.

Motoring Offences

Ok, so what's the worst motoring crime?

1. Driving while using the phone.
2. Locking two children in the boot.
3. Driving at 4TIMES the speed limit.

Two of these are pretty serious.

What? Only two of them?  Surely I can't be serious?

Well I am serious and don't call me Shirley.

Let's take them in order.

1. Driving while using the phone.

We have this story today from BBC News.  UK police caught almost 6,000 drivers using their mobile devices while driving in the four weeks after March 1st.  The significance of that date is that it was then that penalties for being caught were doubled plus any newly-passed drivers caught would have their licences revoked.  It looks like this is still not enough of a deterrent.

 

2. Locking two children in the boot.

 

Another BBC story - this time from yesterday where this woman,

Tori Castillo allegedly locked her 5 and 2 year old children into the boot of her car in Utah, USA while she went shopping.  She is facing child abuse charges and the children are now with their father.

 

Which brings us onto the not-so serious story about the chap convicted of...

 

3. Driving at 4TIMES the speed limit.

Fox News have this story.  The guilty party was one Walter Arnold and he committed the offence in Kent, UK.

 

He was driving this very car here: 

The constable who arrested him estimated he was doing a speed of approximately 8mph in a 2mph zone.  Actually, the entire country was a 2mph zone back in 1896 when this happened.  The article describes 2mph as "a little quicker than the average speed of an ambling cow."

The constable was on a bike but I reckon if he'd just upped his walking pace a little he would have still caught him anyway.

Put the Bloody Phone Down!

Quite often, I see people talking on their hand-held mobile phones while driving - sometimes in large vehicles.

This irritates me.

But at least they are looking out of their windscreens.

I've never seen anyone texting while driving but I know it happens.

This infuriates me and worries me.

According to this Autoguide story, a recent survey found that 69 percent of American drivers found texters the most aggravating, while the tailgater received 60 percent of the responses. Odd that the top two annoyances cover 139% of those responding.  Even odder is their choice of picture to illustrate text-driving:

It seems to depict a scene in 1990s Britain, where a woman is using a Nokia mobile in a right-hand-drive Mercedes which is heading for the grass verge while another rather silly woman is standing with two children in the road.

 

Now text-drivers have a good chance of ending up in a crash.

 

And it looks like they could then end up being filmed by other drivers using their mobiles in camera-mode.

 

The BBC have this story here.

 

Police Officers at the scene of a crash in Northamptonshire noticed motorists taking photographs as they drove past on the opposite carriageway.  So the Police then started photographing the offending drivers with a view to later prosecutions.

 

Strangely enough, the British story features a left-hand drive car interior.  I can neither identify the car nor the phone...

...but I would say it is from the 2000s and it does look a bit Opel-ish.

 

Mind you, put "phone driving" into Google Images and it looks like everyone is at it.

 

So...

 

Put the Bloody Phone Down!