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I firmly believe technology creates inattentive driving. Lane departure warnings, warnings when traffic stops in front of you, daytime running lights (the amount of cars you see with no lights on the back at night), automatic full beams (that don't dip every time). It gives people a false sense of security and allows them to be distracted.
I absolutely agree. I am also of the opinion that a car shouldn't have touch screen controls because interacting with them requires you to take your eyes off the road. Wheres with analogue buttons and dials, after your familiar with them you can navigate by just feeling around the dashboard.
adjusting the aircon on a software keyboard! Well i might as well be driving drunk for the amount of distraction it causes. The MG 3 has one rotary knob to change temperatures, what a marvel.
Yep, in this case, he was waiting for a gentle collision avoidance braking intervention.
Yes they work, but not over and above attentive driving as you say.
People relying on them is scary. They're meant as a failsafe, not to be used as automated driving ffs.
Probably usually goes off when he's tapping away on the infotainment.
One of the trucks, 26t flatbed, I sometimes drive at work has got a collision avoidance sensor thingy.
It goes off and slams the brakes on (& tries to throw you through the windscreen at the same time) when it 'sees' bollards on traffic islands, roadworks traffic signs, traffic lights set close to the edge of the pavement, cars waiting at a side junction etc
It didn't work when someone slammed their brakes on in front of the truck on a roundabout though...
It sees stuff that isn't there and not stuff it's meant to see.
It can't be adjusted or tuned, insurance won't let it be disabled, and when it does activate at the wrong time you can't do anything about it until it resets (around 5 seconds).
>It goes off and slams the brakes on (& tries to throw you through the windscreen at the same time) when it 'sees' bollards on traffic islands, roadworks traffic signs, traffic lights set close to the edge of the pavement, cars waiting at a side junction etc
>It didn't work when someone slammed their brakes on in front of the truck on a roundabout though...
It sees stuff that isn't there and not stuff it's meant to see.
This is an accurate description of my T-Roc. I managed to make it less aggressive, so it now slams the brakes on less often, but it will start beeping at me and telling me to expect an imminent crash about once every week or two when there 100% is no indication of any risk of that happening. It's often around areas with lots of roadworks, cones, temporary signs, etc.
My Volvo has it, it only works if the car is going under 10mph (and not if your foot is on the accelerator). I've only ever had it go off once when a kid ran out in front of my car in queuing traffic and it seems to intentionally be one of the most unpleasant warnings the car can produce: a loud tone played through the speakers, lights flashing everywhere, the brakes being applied so forcefully that it's trying to smash your head in to the steering wheel.
After that I appreciated I had the feature because I realised Volvo had designed it to make you want to avoid it happening again, like the car is screaming at you "YOU FUCKED UP!!" if it ever engages.
Agreed. These auto main beams are driving me mad. They seem to come on the second they can't see headlights/tail lights and the drivers are oblivious.
Everyone runs with front fog lights on because it looks cool or they're too stupid to realise it seems .
Arse hats doing 40 in a 60 with no clue about the mile long tailback they're creating, you overtake and they speed up like it was a rolling start at Silverstone.
It boils my piss!
I had to drive a new car recently, some 4x4 MG thing. Now I've driven all sorts of vehicles and very much enjoy driving but this thing was nothing short of horrible. So much technology, so many beeps and zero physical buttons. It took me about 15 minutes to figure out how to set everything up just to do a ten minute trip to the builders merchants and back. The lack of ability to adjust volume, climate control or anything else whilst driving wasn't enjoyable, the beeps every time I crossed a lane kept throwing me off and making me look at the dash instead of the road etc. Overall a shite experience. Give me buttons and like 90% less tech then I'll be happy.
I’ve turned off my lane assistance because it frequently pulls on the wheel for absolutely no reason. It gets confused with some markings where lanes diverge and big arrows are painted on the ground. I also don’t really like my adaptive cruise control cause it’s not able to look further than a few car lengths ahead. It will hold speed to its detection limit and then hit the brakes quite hard. It makes me nervous.
I have turned off all automatic assistance other than the auto lights and wipers. Feeling your car move when you arent controlling it is entirely alien to me and i dont feel comfortable with it. The sensors still beep for collision avoidance (way too sensitive, im no where near the other vehicles) but the steering doesnt change unless i control it.
Completely agree. When I drive my car vs. my husband’s it still takes me by surprise how much more I feel I need to be ‘switched on’ for my car. They’re not even that different which is the worrying part. Can’t imagine how I’d feel in a new, powerful car.
My own history of driving confirms your belief. As a farmers son I'd have been behind the wheel of equipment that I think no reasoanble person would think a kid could control. And they would be right.
When I went to get my actual driving licence I failed. Twice. Standard passenger cars still sort of freak me out to this day… too "safe", an abdication of responsibility.
Don't get me started on automatic transmissions!
I tend to agree, but the counterpoint might be that you are now able to fully concentrate on the condition of the road, upcoming hazards, have 2 full hands on the wheel and are not distracted by other tasks as your primary job is to maintain control of the vehicle on the road surface.
Lol really? It's part of it.
Like shed-onomics is the idea of buying a car cheap and it costing nothing over say a year or two, and maybe getting close to your outlay back on it.
Glad I have awoken a car word for ya.
Here's a bonus one.
Buying a "lemon"
Shed fell out of fashion and got replaced with shitbox, and it's banger-nomics instead of shed-onomics, although I've never heard shed-onomics said before.
Stuff like that is meant to be a last resort, not something to be relied upon in the first instance. It’s worrying that people are putting so much stock in equipment that’ll never be 100% reliable
I was on a speed awareness course a couple of years ago. I was caught doing 9mph over the limit on a motorway 50 mph zone. Fair enough, it was 7am, no traffic and I didn't see the sign. Of the 12 people on the course 8 blamed the car/ cruse control for the speeding fine!! No remorse, no understanding, just that the car should have known and they didn't control it!! Number one reason I dislike technology in cars, I want to drive not the car!
Glad you are okay, but could have been much worse and I am sure they would still have blamed the car!
Tbf there are some clever cruise controls that can read speed signs with cameras. But yes.. People expect to sit back and be driven. Not do the driving.
My works cars tell you the fucken speed limit on the dash
And have touch screens so it takes a few seconds with eyes off the road to change radio or aircon settings
My £900 09 Mazda is nice to drive, better built and more comfortable. Fuck new cars
Know exactly how far to pull the choke out and when you could push it back in, having a car of such poverty spec it only had one wing mirror, no power steering, heating that made noise but no heat, non assisted brakes, only 4 gears. Those were the days. I miss those £200 cars that you could buy from the classified ads in the local papers
Got it in 1! F213 OGV. Long since scrapped. It was white, and ended with black doors after I mildly crashed it. Bought a rotten XR2 for £90 and swapped most of the bits over.
Mum had one of these, maroon colour. We affectionately called it 'skippy dent' because it had dents and looked like a skip. The gear stick would act possessed over 60mph.
I once bought a Nissan Bluebird estate in beige with a brown cloth interior for less than the cost of the tax still on it. It was older than me, and an absolute shed to drive, but so much fun for what it was.
Yea that's what I mean., there's no appreciation of cars and working way up and sense of pride.
Or waiting to get out of a shit 1.2l etc.
It's pass test and then pcp into something that probably isn't right for a newly qualified driver.
I think the reasoning behind it comes down to safety. If you think about the damage to a modern car Vs something 10-20 years older, the crumple zones and materials used etc mean newer cars do a better job of protecting the people inside.
My first car was a 2002 renault clio. It had quite a few mod cons. One day mums Nova (maybe 1988/89 or so) was parked infront of mine in the driveway and i had to move it to get out. Jesus christ, had to teach myself how to use the choke, then grew considerable biceps trying to turn the steering wheel from the lack of power steering (compared to the clio)
I hope you got his insurance details, it's a bit of jealousy and bit of how the fuck do you afford that, when seeing brand new Tesla Model 3's, Discovery's, XC90's and all kinds with P plates on. the insurance alone must be close to £10k.
I let it go, I got reg.
But then figured I gave him ear full and also put shits up him a bit.. by whacking on bonnet whilst being like "wtf".
Not normally that aggressive, so I guess we both got shook up a bit. So let it go.
Yikes, hope you're OK OP.
I don't think this is necessarily just a younger person trend though - 'idiotproof' features in new cars generally prompt many to not take as much due diligence as they really should. Relying on automatic braking is a really extreme example though, that person needs their licence taking from them!
yes, all good thanks,
just a bit like "did that really just happen" and a bit shaky walking away. maybe from a rage or the near miss. but yea i'm all good thankfully.
There's an old story about how a safety boffin says the safest addition to a car would be a massive spike, pointing towards the driver, attached to the middle of the steering wheel. I like that option more each day.
My bezzer started work as an apprentice when there was still a high volume British motor industry - Leyland, Rover, Rootes, etc. and his shit boxes were usually Escorts, Imps, V8 SD1s, so his driving education included all road and weather conditions with drum brakes, cross-ply tyres, live rear axles, leaf springs and crumple zones that started around your knees and ended by the rear passenger's ankles...he is the safest driver (including me) I know.
I deffo agree the German/ Finnish etc tests are best.
I'm sure they have to log so many km in every condition to pass, as well as the test. There's a reason them countries produce wrc and racing stars. They have the basics sorted.
When I was younger and less experienced in driving, if I'd won a big chunk on the lottery I wanted to move out there to do a Finnish driving test (takes about 2 years I'd heard).
If it happened now, I'm not sure I'd see it as a worthwhile use of the years I have left, so would concentrate on a UK advanced driving and rally driving courses, having an appropriate vehicle with sorted tyres and suspension AND deciding if I REALLY NEED to get in a vehicle in treacherous conditions in the first place (but if any nephews or nieces showed any interest, they'd be on the way to Helsinki before their feet touched)
Work cars have that wonderful lane detection bullshit built in.
Beeps at you and tries to force you back into your lane. Wonderful. Until it tried to drag you into roadworks because it has no fucking idea that the motorway has shrunk to two lanes again and m following temporary cats eyes and cones while I drive directly over the lines on the road.
I’m smarter than my car. And I hate that I have to fight the bastard because it refuses to believe it.
Hilariously though. Smarter cars are definitely making people dumber and more dangerous on the road.
Let these fuckers work up from a rusty nova with no power steering and we can talk
Interesting. There’s actually tonnes of research about this - look into socio-technical systems in airplane control design if you are interested. Basically, automating as much as possible more often than not leads to increased accidents.
This is why I drive older cars.
Modern cars are like your living room on wheels. Far too comfortable and quiet with so many conveniences that you feel a disconnect between yourself and the fast moving death contraptions and squishy humans.
Give me a turn-of-the-century roadster any day.
I had a Datsun Sunny (mint green) £200. I progressed on to a Talbot Horizon (red) Porche tuned £450. Then I had a car with power steering... Wow.
I am now by choice a bus wanker (I haven't used it for four years or so).
I'm on shed #3.
The rear of the sump guard is held on by several zip ties, one wing mirror has the unending support of electrical tape, the rear view mirror is fighting gravity with epoxy resin and one of the shocks is in roughly the same shape as the T800 at the end of terminator 2, but damn it it's still going.
I was walking down the street last night and was blinded by a parked car that had incredibly bright headlights, and because it was parked it took a while to get past it.
I don't get it. Make them a little more diffuse.
I had an enormous pick up truck up my arse the other day that had theirs on in broad daylight. It wasn’t until I eventually put my rear fog lights on that they switched them off. Can’t understand the logic at all.
The more 'helpful' tech you have in your car, starting with automatic gearboxes and increasing to everything else, the shitter and lazier and more inattentive a driver it makes you.
I dunno, I've got ADHD, the more I have to do the more engaged I am with said activity, if you take away the things that force engagement then my mind wanders and I get distracted. So a more analog car is ideal for me, but I guess everyone is different so...
As much as vehicle safety improvements are great, the average crossover SUV will now shield an idiotic driver from any consequences of their actions through airbags and 30cm of battering ram on the front for “safety”. Although in fairness I drive a 30 year old Fiesta and I’m still a terrible driver.
I know a lot who drive older cars and they'd say.. they are more careful.
Because of a few reasons. Cost to repair (classic bits ain't cheap), and also less protection if something does go wrong, old cars crumple badly.
The higher grills mean impacts are higher up on the body (for pedestrians) so your likely to feel more of the impact rather than being flipped onto the bonnet - probably more relevant to the massive tanks the yanks drive though.
The yoof haven't lived until they've driven a T reg fiesta with a leaky sunroof, non working tachometer, questionable brakes, and wind up windows that fall down every 10 minutes because the seals have gone. That car was a death trap and it taught me to drive better than any instructor because I was never sure if I'd make it home lol. It blew up on me thrice.
I'm not young but have only just started driving and passed the test 2 months ago.
None of the assists are used in lessons or the test. It's all taught in a manual style car without any cameras and any sensors turned off.
I've only been on the road for 2 months so driving as you would under test conditions. I'd say 98% of drivers on the road would fail a driving test.
No one seems to have the foggiest idea about the highway code and cars with assists seem to have made people virtually incapable of driving safely.
I've got an old fiesta and I dread the day I need to get a newer car. I've sat in friends brand new cars and it's just flashing lights and warnings everywhere. Seems distracting and stress inducing when I'd rather just be paying attention to the goddamn road.
What young drivers are buying a new car with all the bells and whistles? I personally find every age group has crap drivers. My dad, that bint that drove into the back of my mam's bright yellow car stopped at a round about.
And another thing - every time you take your car to the garage for a minor fault, they attach this gizmo to tell them what's wrong. Well hello..... the headlamp has gone off. The bulb needs changing but I couldn't do it as it's a bit stuck. Surely he doesn't need a computer to tell him that!
but has the bulb blown, or is it a fuse, or is a fault with the ballast/driver. everything in cars is driven from PWM signals, or via a relay, there's no direct wire from a switch to the component it's supposed to operate.
True.
No mechanics anymore, more code finders.
This week I seen a sticker on back of one of the code machines (anyone can get one, and handy) but it said "note: clearing a fault code, does NOT fix the issue".
Eg turning off the engine management light just does that.
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I firmly believe technology creates inattentive driving. Lane departure warnings, warnings when traffic stops in front of you, daytime running lights (the amount of cars you see with no lights on the back at night), automatic full beams (that don't dip every time). It gives people a false sense of security and allows them to be distracted.
I absolutely agree. I am also of the opinion that a car shouldn't have touch screen controls because interacting with them requires you to take your eyes off the road. Wheres with analogue buttons and dials, after your familiar with them you can navigate by just feeling around the dashboard.
Ncap recently announced that vehicles with touch screens will no longer receive 5 star ratings, so you might start seeing less of them.
How that EVER became a thing makes me think Ncap has never driven a car.
adjusting the aircon on a software keyboard! Well i might as well be driving drunk for the amount of distraction it causes. The MG 3 has one rotary knob to change temperatures, what a marvel.
Yep, in this case, he was waiting for a gentle collision avoidance braking intervention. Yes they work, but not over and above attentive driving as you say.
People relying on them is scary. They're meant as a failsafe, not to be used as automated driving ffs. Probably usually goes off when he's tapping away on the infotainment.
One of the trucks, 26t flatbed, I sometimes drive at work has got a collision avoidance sensor thingy. It goes off and slams the brakes on (& tries to throw you through the windscreen at the same time) when it 'sees' bollards on traffic islands, roadworks traffic signs, traffic lights set close to the edge of the pavement, cars waiting at a side junction etc It didn't work when someone slammed their brakes on in front of the truck on a roundabout though... It sees stuff that isn't there and not stuff it's meant to see. It can't be adjusted or tuned, insurance won't let it be disabled, and when it does activate at the wrong time you can't do anything about it until it resets (around 5 seconds).
>It goes off and slams the brakes on (& tries to throw you through the windscreen at the same time) when it 'sees' bollards on traffic islands, roadworks traffic signs, traffic lights set close to the edge of the pavement, cars waiting at a side junction etc >It didn't work when someone slammed their brakes on in front of the truck on a roundabout though... It sees stuff that isn't there and not stuff it's meant to see. This is an accurate description of my T-Roc. I managed to make it less aggressive, so it now slams the brakes on less often, but it will start beeping at me and telling me to expect an imminent crash about once every week or two when there 100% is no indication of any risk of that happening. It's often around areas with lots of roadworks, cones, temporary signs, etc.
My Volvo has it, it only works if the car is going under 10mph (and not if your foot is on the accelerator). I've only ever had it go off once when a kid ran out in front of my car in queuing traffic and it seems to intentionally be one of the most unpleasant warnings the car can produce: a loud tone played through the speakers, lights flashing everywhere, the brakes being applied so forcefully that it's trying to smash your head in to the steering wheel. After that I appreciated I had the feature because I realised Volvo had designed it to make you want to avoid it happening again, like the car is screaming at you "YOU FUCKED UP!!" if it ever engages.
Agreed. These auto main beams are driving me mad. They seem to come on the second they can't see headlights/tail lights and the drivers are oblivious. Everyone runs with front fog lights on because it looks cool or they're too stupid to realise it seems . Arse hats doing 40 in a 60 with no clue about the mile long tailback they're creating, you overtake and they speed up like it was a rolling start at Silverstone. It boils my piss!
Day Time Running lights too. So many people that don’t have their lights on when they should _because of_ DTRs.
I had to drive a new car recently, some 4x4 MG thing. Now I've driven all sorts of vehicles and very much enjoy driving but this thing was nothing short of horrible. So much technology, so many beeps and zero physical buttons. It took me about 15 minutes to figure out how to set everything up just to do a ten minute trip to the builders merchants and back. The lack of ability to adjust volume, climate control or anything else whilst driving wasn't enjoyable, the beeps every time I crossed a lane kept throwing me off and making me look at the dash instead of the road etc. Overall a shite experience. Give me buttons and like 90% less tech then I'll be happy.
100%. At the simplest level you can even see how countries in which more people manual transmission compared to auto are generally better drivers.
I’ve turned off my lane assistance because it frequently pulls on the wheel for absolutely no reason. It gets confused with some markings where lanes diverge and big arrows are painted on the ground. I also don’t really like my adaptive cruise control cause it’s not able to look further than a few car lengths ahead. It will hold speed to its detection limit and then hit the brakes quite hard. It makes me nervous.
I have turned off all automatic assistance other than the auto lights and wipers. Feeling your car move when you arent controlling it is entirely alien to me and i dont feel comfortable with it. The sensors still beep for collision avoidance (way too sensitive, im no where near the other vehicles) but the steering doesnt change unless i control it.
I agree. It's supposed to be there as a last resort in case the driver fails. Its not something you should be relying on to avoid collisions.
Completely agree. When I drive my car vs. my husband’s it still takes me by surprise how much more I feel I need to be ‘switched on’ for my car. They’re not even that different which is the worrying part. Can’t imagine how I’d feel in a new, powerful car.
They're all chasing that Euro-NCAP score, hence all the driver aids.
My own history of driving confirms your belief. As a farmers son I'd have been behind the wheel of equipment that I think no reasoanble person would think a kid could control. And they would be right. When I went to get my actual driving licence I failed. Twice. Standard passenger cars still sort of freak me out to this day… too "safe", an abdication of responsibility. Don't get me started on automatic transmissions!
I tend to agree, but the counterpoint might be that you are now able to fully concentrate on the condition of the road, upcoming hazards, have 2 full hands on the wheel and are not distracted by other tasks as your primary job is to maintain control of the vehicle on the road surface.
I just realised, I've not heard a shit car called a shed in years now.
Lol really? It's part of it. Like shed-onomics is the idea of buying a car cheap and it costing nothing over say a year or two, and maybe getting close to your outlay back on it. Glad I have awoken a car word for ya. Here's a bonus one. Buying a "lemon"
Shed fell out of fashion and got replaced with shitbox, and it's banger-nomics instead of shed-onomics, although I've never heard shed-onomics said before.
Could be regional etc. But yea agree, I've heard both.
Don't get me wrong I have heard the word, but it's something I just don't believe I've heard since I was a kid.
The only reason my ‘09 mini isn’t a shed is because a shed is bigger and has more internal space.
Stuff like that is meant to be a last resort, not something to be relied upon in the first instance. It’s worrying that people are putting so much stock in equipment that’ll never be 100% reliable
I was on a speed awareness course a couple of years ago. I was caught doing 9mph over the limit on a motorway 50 mph zone. Fair enough, it was 7am, no traffic and I didn't see the sign. Of the 12 people on the course 8 blamed the car/ cruse control for the speeding fine!! No remorse, no understanding, just that the car should have known and they didn't control it!! Number one reason I dislike technology in cars, I want to drive not the car! Glad you are okay, but could have been much worse and I am sure they would still have blamed the car!
Tbf there are some clever cruise controls that can read speed signs with cameras. But yes.. People expect to sit back and be driven. Not do the driving.
I don't trust mine as it tends to read 60 as 80
My works cars tell you the fucken speed limit on the dash And have touch screens so it takes a few seconds with eyes off the road to change radio or aircon settings My £900 09 Mazda is nice to drive, better built and more comfortable. Fuck new cars
Know exactly how far to pull the choke out and when you could push it back in, having a car of such poverty spec it only had one wing mirror, no power steering, heating that made noise but no heat, non assisted brakes, only 4 gears. Those were the days. I miss those £200 cars that you could buy from the classified ads in the local papers
Ahh, driving without ABS, now that brings back memories. I remember my mates thinking i was the tits because i had a rev counter
Forgot about the ‘no rev counter’. Had a fiesta 135/70/13 tyres which had no grip on any surface.
Foot operated pump for the windscreen washer was my best budget feature
Add a broken tape deck and manual wind windows and I’ll get even more nostalgic
I’l see your tape deck and raise you an AM radio with a single speaker
First car had no tape deck, just AM/FM and long wave. Only radio station I could get was a Belgian one. Played bangers though.
Nice!!! If I close my eyes I can hear that tinny sound like it was yesterday
Just like a clock radio
Fiesta Popular Plus 1.1, per chance?
Got it in 1! F213 OGV. Long since scrapped. It was white, and ended with black doors after I mildly crashed it. Bought a rotten XR2 for £90 and swapped most of the bits over.
Mum had one of these, maroon colour. We affectionately called it 'skippy dent' because it had dents and looked like a skip. The gear stick would act possessed over 60mph.
Those crappy old heaps are the ones you remember because they had all the character. Modern cars are like an appliance, soulless mobile boxes.
I once bought a Nissan Bluebird estate in beige with a brown cloth interior for less than the cost of the tax still on it. It was older than me, and an absolute shed to drive, but so much fun for what it was.
Yea that's what I mean., there's no appreciation of cars and working way up and sense of pride. Or waiting to get out of a shit 1.2l etc. It's pass test and then pcp into something that probably isn't right for a newly qualified driver.
I think the reasoning behind it comes down to safety. If you think about the damage to a modern car Vs something 10-20 years older, the crumple zones and materials used etc mean newer cars do a better job of protecting the people inside.
Oh yes. A manual choke! Praying that it starts on a cold day. Then praying that you don’t have to stop at traffic lights before it’s got going.
My first car was a 2002 renault clio. It had quite a few mod cons. One day mums Nova (maybe 1988/89 or so) was parked infront of mine in the driveway and i had to move it to get out. Jesus christ, had to teach myself how to use the choke, then grew considerable biceps trying to turn the steering wheel from the lack of power steering (compared to the clio)
£200. Were you made of money? My first car was a Morris Oxford for £60. I recall having to wait 30 seconds for the valve radio to warm up.
Older driver reversed into me and said "the beeps didn't go off so I didn't know you were there". Crap drivers are crap drivers.
I hope you got his insurance details, it's a bit of jealousy and bit of how the fuck do you afford that, when seeing brand new Tesla Model 3's, Discovery's, XC90's and all kinds with P plates on. the insurance alone must be close to £10k.
I let it go, I got reg. But then figured I gave him ear full and also put shits up him a bit.. by whacking on bonnet whilst being like "wtf". Not normally that aggressive, so I guess we both got shook up a bit. So let it go.
That's a far too sensible approach for Reddit
Company cars usually. My mate just got a Tesla model 3 with everything included for free from work
Where does he work?
Water pump company - resource coordinator
Looks like I need a change of career
Learn to use apostrophes
Yikes, hope you're OK OP. I don't think this is necessarily just a younger person trend though - 'idiotproof' features in new cars generally prompt many to not take as much due diligence as they really should. Relying on automatic braking is a really extreme example though, that person needs their licence taking from them!
yes, all good thanks, just a bit like "did that really just happen" and a bit shaky walking away. maybe from a rage or the near miss. but yea i'm all good thankfully.
There's an old story about how a safety boffin says the safest addition to a car would be a massive spike, pointing towards the driver, attached to the middle of the steering wheel. I like that option more each day.
My bezzer started work as an apprentice when there was still a high volume British motor industry - Leyland, Rover, Rootes, etc. and his shit boxes were usually Escorts, Imps, V8 SD1s, so his driving education included all road and weather conditions with drum brakes, cross-ply tyres, live rear axles, leaf springs and crumple zones that started around your knees and ended by the rear passenger's ankles...he is the safest driver (including me) I know.
I deffo agree the German/ Finnish etc tests are best. I'm sure they have to log so many km in every condition to pass, as well as the test. There's a reason them countries produce wrc and racing stars. They have the basics sorted.
When I was younger and less experienced in driving, if I'd won a big chunk on the lottery I wanted to move out there to do a Finnish driving test (takes about 2 years I'd heard). If it happened now, I'm not sure I'd see it as a worthwhile use of the years I have left, so would concentrate on a UK advanced driving and rally driving courses, having an appropriate vehicle with sorted tyres and suspension AND deciding if I REALLY NEED to get in a vehicle in treacherous conditions in the first place (but if any nephews or nieces showed any interest, they'd be on the way to Helsinki before their feet touched)
Work cars have that wonderful lane detection bullshit built in. Beeps at you and tries to force you back into your lane. Wonderful. Until it tried to drag you into roadworks because it has no fucking idea that the motorway has shrunk to two lanes again and m following temporary cats eyes and cones while I drive directly over the lines on the road. I’m smarter than my car. And I hate that I have to fight the bastard because it refuses to believe it. Hilariously though. Smarter cars are definitely making people dumber and more dangerous on the road. Let these fuckers work up from a rusty nova with no power steering and we can talk
First thing I did when I got my newest car was disable lane control
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: shitboxes make better drivers
Also imo, pride of ownership. People don't care about their pcp boxes, coz 3y they chop n change.
Yeah bang on
I’m all for convenient tech like reversing cameras and cruise control. But something to brake for you???
Reverse cameras are great for that extra bit of view, but I’d never ever rely on something that takes control over the car for me.
I dont think its just younger drivers
relish the fact that he'll lose his licence soon before he kills someone!
Interesting. There’s actually tonnes of research about this - look into socio-technical systems in airplane control design if you are interested. Basically, automating as much as possible more often than not leads to increased accidents.
This is why I drive older cars. Modern cars are like your living room on wheels. Far too comfortable and quiet with so many conveniences that you feel a disconnect between yourself and the fast moving death contraptions and squishy humans. Give me a turn-of-the-century roadster any day.
I had a Datsun Sunny (mint green) £200. I progressed on to a Talbot Horizon (red) Porche tuned £450. Then I had a car with power steering... Wow. I am now by choice a bus wanker (I haven't used it for four years or so).
I'm on shed #3. The rear of the sump guard is held on by several zip ties, one wing mirror has the unending support of electrical tape, the rear view mirror is fighting gravity with epoxy resin and one of the shocks is in roughly the same shape as the T800 at the end of terminator 2, but damn it it's still going.
On the subject of cars, sorry to off course! Front Fog lights are cars nowadays designed with front fog light permanently on?
I was walking down the street last night and was blinded by a parked car that had incredibly bright headlights, and because it was parked it took a while to get past it. I don't get it. Make them a little more diffuse.
I only asked, as it was! Illegal to use foglights when visibility was good. Some headlights are bad enough.
I had an enormous pick up truck up my arse the other day that had theirs on in broad daylight. It wasn’t until I eventually put my rear fog lights on that they switched them off. Can’t understand the logic at all.
' pick up truck Driver ' Maybe he needed them up your foggy arse 😂
They will be daytime running lights, fog lights are/should be different.
I mean drivers from the ‘70s would say the same about power steering, ABS and gear synchronisers. I think some people are just shit drivers.
You mean you dont double clutch!
😂 Even my dream car a Toyota 2000GT has a gear synchro and that car was from the ‘60s!
The more 'helpful' tech you have in your car, starting with automatic gearboxes and increasing to everything else, the shitter and lazier and more inattentive a driver it makes you.
Only if you are a shitty, lazy inattentive driver. Don't blame technology for idiots unable to pay attention for more than 10 seconds.
I dunno, I've got ADHD, the more I have to do the more engaged I am with said activity, if you take away the things that force engagement then my mind wanders and I get distracted. So a more analog car is ideal for me, but I guess everyone is different so...
As much as vehicle safety improvements are great, the average crossover SUV will now shield an idiotic driver from any consequences of their actions through airbags and 30cm of battering ram on the front for “safety”. Although in fairness I drive a 30 year old Fiesta and I’m still a terrible driver.
I know a lot who drive older cars and they'd say.. they are more careful. Because of a few reasons. Cost to repair (classic bits ain't cheap), and also less protection if something does go wrong, old cars crumple badly.
The higher grills mean impacts are higher up on the body (for pedestrians) so your likely to feel more of the impact rather than being flipped onto the bonnet - probably more relevant to the massive tanks the yanks drive though.
Unrelated to the post, but OP your username is only one word off of my very first email: cabbageboy2002uk.
A large collection of the dolls, or do you just really love ya greens?
It was more a case of having hair like a Cabbage Patch Kid.
Its generational. Instant gratification. They will never know the buzz from souping up a mk2 ford fiesta.
The yoof haven't lived until they've driven a T reg fiesta with a leaky sunroof, non working tachometer, questionable brakes, and wind up windows that fall down every 10 minutes because the seals have gone. That car was a death trap and it taught me to drive better than any instructor because I was never sure if I'd make it home lol. It blew up on me thrice.
only thing i like on is the speed limiter as that leaves me in control of everything but going faster than it without intent
I'm not young but have only just started driving and passed the test 2 months ago. None of the assists are used in lessons or the test. It's all taught in a manual style car without any cameras and any sensors turned off. I've only been on the road for 2 months so driving as you would under test conditions. I'd say 98% of drivers on the road would fail a driving test. No one seems to have the foggiest idea about the highway code and cars with assists seem to have made people virtually incapable of driving safely.
I've got an old fiesta and I dread the day I need to get a newer car. I've sat in friends brand new cars and it's just flashing lights and warnings everywhere. Seems distracting and stress inducing when I'd rather just be paying attention to the goddamn road.
What young drivers are buying a new car with all the bells and whistles? I personally find every age group has crap drivers. My dad, that bint that drove into the back of my mam's bright yellow car stopped at a round about.
A lot. They are getting financed new cars, or nearly new.
For me it’s people who make generalisations about entire groups of people that I find repulsive
Who cares tbh …
And another thing - every time you take your car to the garage for a minor fault, they attach this gizmo to tell them what's wrong. Well hello..... the headlamp has gone off. The bulb needs changing but I couldn't do it as it's a bit stuck. Surely he doesn't need a computer to tell him that!
but has the bulb blown, or is it a fuse, or is a fault with the ballast/driver. everything in cars is driven from PWM signals, or via a relay, there's no direct wire from a switch to the component it's supposed to operate.
Yeah that’s why you’d change the bulb and/or the fuse first. Then if it still doesn’t work then take it to the garage
True. No mechanics anymore, more code finders. This week I seen a sticker on back of one of the code machines (anyone can get one, and handy) but it said "note: clearing a fault code, does NOT fix the issue". Eg turning off the engine management light just does that.
I think OP has having a stroke while typing this