Safety First and Last

Drive.com.au have this story today about car safety features.

Apparently drivers hate them.

I think it's mostly the lane assist and the warnings about exceeding the speed limit.

My car has both.

But it's a 2020 car so I switched off the lane assist when I first got it and the speed warning is just a subtle flashing of the speed limit indicator in the head-up display and speedo centre which is very easy to ignore.

No bonging.

Worldwide legislation has decreed that all newer cars have to have these things mush more annoying, harder to switch off and for them to switch themselves back on when you restart the engine/ignition.

The story is about a survey by AAMI, who seem to be a major Australian Insurer, about safety features drivers are turning off and why.

Although the "why" is obvious.

Apparently, AAMI have a bloke called Steve who is their "Motor Insights and Operations Manager" and he seemed surprised at how many drivers were switching them off.  He seemed to be encouraging people not to do this but his arguments were not exactly convincing:

“We're really encouraging people to understand how these safety systems work and learn how to use these and get the best out of them so it can be safer for you and all other road users.”

“If you're picking up a new car, spend that time to actually get the dealer to show you how these features work.

“They'll spend time with you to help you understand those features, which will then enable you to build trust and confidence in using them.

"These systems are there to help you, not replace you."

Car reviews are now pointing out how annoying these features are and which cars are best for mitigating the annoyance.

Which sort of defeats the whole purpose of the annoyance in the first place.

I asked Google AI about this - it was more helpful than Steve:

Easily Deactivated Systems:

Peugeots, Renaults, and Nissans:

These brands are often highlighted for having systems that can be easily turned off with a single button press or a combination of button presses, allowing drivers to quickly and efficiently disable driver assistance features.

Citroën:

Similar to the above, Citroën is mentioned for placing buttons for these systems conveniently close to each other, allowing for easy, simultaneous deactivation.

Hyundai and Kia:

These manufacturers have also incorporated a press-and-hold function on some steering wheel buttons, achieving a similar result of quick deactivation.

Systems that are Less Intrusive or More Easily Managed:

Volvo:

Volvo's driver assistance systems, particularly the lane keeping system, are often praised for being well-calibrated and only activating when truly necessary, reducing the need for frequent deactivation.

Volkswagen:

Volkswagen is mentioned for having a speed limit warning system that is quiet and unobtrusive, making it less likely to be a nuisance.

Skoda:

Skoda's systems are noted for staying off even after the car is restarted, which is a feature not always offered by other manufacturers.

Audi:

Audi's safety systems are mentioned for being subtle and effective, with features that can be easily curated or turned off. 

It seems to have got this information from an article in the Daily Telegraph but I'm not going to link to it because:

a) It wants your email address before it will let you read it

b) It's The Daily Telegraph

Anyway, the moral of this is, if you want people to be safer, don't make the safety systems that are annoying and therefore unsafe.

Buzzin' Back

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over in The States says that the ID.Buzz's third-row bench seat is too wide and three people could sit on it.

I wouldn't describe it as a "bench" and I wouldn't want to be the third person if they were sat in the middle:

Car+Driver have the story here.

It has led to a recall with the rear seat being made narrower.  They say they will add unpadded trim to limit the seating surface width of the third-row bench.

Haven't a clue what they mean by that AND IT ISN'T A BENCH!

Seems a bit over the top to me - if someone sits in the middle then gets thrust forward to their death in a collision because they haven't got a seatbelt on - then that is misadventure and not Volkswagen's fault.

Things were much simpler in the olden days!

Jog On

 Ooh, look at this exciting car:

Then read today's Autocar headline:

Dacia Jogger is firm's "safest ever" car despite one-star NCAP score

Eek!

Then actually read the article.

It looks like they are being pragmatic about what to spend the cash on in order to make a reasonably-priced, seven-seater people-carrier.  And it doesn't seem too unsafe to me but I wouldn't buy one for other reasons like:

• I don't need a reasonably-priced, seven-seater people-carrier

and

• I'm a badge-snob.

Although when Marc Suss, Dacia’s vice president of engineering, says, "It is far safer than the Logan" then I wouldn't be too happy if I'd bought one of their C-Segment econoboxes - not that I would have because:

• I don't need a C-Segment econobox

and

• I'm a badge-snob.

I also won't be after a Dacia Jogger campervan as touted in this story.

This is because:

• I don't need a future-touted campervan

and

• I'm a badge-snob.

Look Behind You!

I changed my car last month.

I now own a BMW 3-Series.

I like to confuse other drivers by using my indicators correctly.

I was a bit confused myself though, and also somewhat perturbed by these three red blobs that appeared on the dash whenever I started it up:

There was nothing in the manual about them and red is bad - right?

But they went away after a few seconds so they can't be that bad, can they?

Then one of then went green when I was giving my son and his guitar a lift to the station.

Green is good.

A bit of Internet research then told me that these blobs represent whether or not the rear seat passengers (irrespective of whether they exist or not) have got their seatbelts clicked in.

OK, I get that - it's nice to know, if you are planning to crash, whether or not the person sat behind you is liable to be flung through your helpless body creating gruesome carnage.  Or not - green is good and red is OK if there's nobody sizeable sat there.

So when I read this Car+Driver story this week about how Hyundai will be making rear-occupant alert standard by 2022, I assumed that it was something like what I had been experiencing.

But no.

This is a system already made available by some manufacturers to alert drivers IF THEY HAVE ACCIDENTALLY LEFT A CHILD IN THE BACK OF THEIR VEHICLE. (I put it in capitals because it sounds unbelievable)

How can that even be a thing?

I can understand people deliberately leaving children in cars if they think they'll only be a short time - it is very stupid and they should feel the full force of the law if anything happens to the child (and also maybe if it doesn't)

BUT HOW CAN YOU FORGET A CHILD IS IN YOUR CAR!?

Sadly - apparently you can.  I want to be flippant and mention the Darwin Awards but it feels wrong after reading that.  I don't understand how that could happen and also how car manufacturers have to put something in place to prevent it happening again.

So, rather than try to comprehend that, here's the cute picture they used in the story:

Ring Me Sometime

The F1 Season has started again.

I saw something about practice on the TV schedule today.

I'm waiting for the BTCC to restart.  (April 8th if you're interested)

F1 is definitely losing appeal.  And making the cars uglier isn't going to help.  But they have to do it - if it saves just one life it'll be worth it.

I'm talking about The Halo Device:

Autocar have an article on it here.

 

I suppose when you see it, the word that is supposed to come to mind is "safety".

 

It's probably something to do with how my mind works, but when I see it, the word that comes to mind is "thong".

Sign of The Times

Correction, make that The BBC, not The Times.

I read this non-story today about people complaining about some new LED advertising signs put up near the Liverpool end of the M62 motorway:

 

I say "people".  It is actually the ABD, the Alliance of British Drivers, an organisation I was unimpressed by three years ago. They are probably upset because one of them missed the speed camera on the motorway in that area because they were busy reading whatever it was displaying an advert for.

The Liverpool Echo covered the plans for the signs back in June although the location was a bit different and the main objection then was "due their size, elevated location and that they will be illuminated, which we consider would have a significant detrimental impact on the local community – both to local residents and local amenities.”:

 

The picture looked good though.

I'm not seeing any real dangers myself - they are not moving pictures (like I saw in November '14 when both the adverts AND the pictures were moving) and it is claimed that lighting levels are controlled.

At least no real dangers unless Wonderbra revisit a certain advertising campaign from 1994.  Hello Boys.

Deer, Oh Dear!

This is a couple of stories from America.

I'll get the "Oh Dear!" bit over with first because that is the saddest bit.

This is a corruption of a Smart Car on display at the The L.A.Auto Show.

It is called the Smart forjeremy. The story is in Car+Driver here.

Unfortunately, the Jeremy it is for is not Jeremy Clarkson - I would truly love to see his take on a Smart. No, this Jeremy is Jeremy Scott - a fashion designer I have never heard of who has designed fashion for people I have heard of - like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. Apparently, those things at the back that make it look like an Indian Chief's head-dress are supposed to be wings.

They light up.

Oh yes, and the car is electric-powered.

Anyhoo. The better story from The States today is from Fox and is about this device - no, it's not a see-through i-Phone, it's a deer deterrent called "The Deer Deter". So why would you want to deter a deer - they're quite cute aren't they?

Indeed they are, but if you were a highway with fast moving traffic going along you, you wouldn't want these cute creatures getting splattered and generally causing accidents by wandering onto your tarmac when there's a car coming now would you?

Of course you wouldn't. So you put these up along the roadside and when they are activated by a passing vehicle's headlights, they emit a noise and strobe effect that stops the deer in its tracks until the vehicle has passed.

Oh yes, and the Deer Deter is electric-powered. Solar in fact. The noise is harmless and also means it will alert blind deer.

What do you call a deer with no eyes?


NO IDEA!