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That's one that I kinda wish I did have. Sightlines in my new truck aren't all that great.. So i really have to rely on the mirrors, and I just don't trust mirrors 100%
You've hit on why I think there will be far more parking lot incidents with the advent of backup cameras. People will rely on them, rather than looking, which they should be doing.. Those backup cameras are nice for straight back, but they do nothing for seeing what's coming towards you from the sides. I use mine, but I don't EXCLUSIVELY use mine. It's massively helpful if I were hooking up a trailer and when backing out in a tight spot, because I'm a horrible judge of distance for things like a curb I'm backing towards.. But it's not replacing my rear-view or my head-on-a-swivel looking.
One that kinda annoys me is that my truck has "Hill Start Assist".. It keeps the brakes on until you're on the gas.. Umm.. Ok.. except.. This is an automatic. I could see this totally for a manual transmission.. I think it'd be very helpful.. But on an automatic? Really?
Not true for all back-up cameras. My car has 360 degree cameras and can detect people or cars coming from the side when I'm backing out of a parking space. I still turn around and look more than I use the camera though, mostly out of habit.
The cameras are now required because the rear end and sides of cars are much higher. Less glass, more protection in a crash. Especially if you are rear ended or t-boned by a big SUV. But as a result, there are a lot more bling spots.
One that kinda annoys me is that my truck has "Hill Start Assist".. It keeps the brakes on until you're on the gas.. Umm.. Ok.. except.. This is an automatic. I could see this totally for a manual transmission.. I think it'd be very helpful.. But on an automatic? Really?
An automatic will still roll backward on a steep incline.
So I recently bought a new Explorer Platinum. It has all the bells and whistles, which I love. It also has every safety feature imaginable. I thought some of them would drive me nuts, but I've found that I quickly got used to them, and now I really like and appreciate them. But there was an added benefit that I didn't anticipate.
For years, I have quietly fumed while my husband never used turn signals, drove too closely to the person in front of him, etc. I used to point it out sometimes, but he always insisted that he didn't do those things. It wasn't worth the fight, so I stopped bringing it up years ago.
He doesn't drive my car much, but when he does, boy is it fun now. Warning lights and alarms go off all the time. Steering wheel vibrates and resists as he tries to switch lanes without a turn signal. I just smile to myself and let him get frustrated. So far, I've resisted the urge to say, "I told you so." You can turn some of these features off, but he hasn't figured out how to do that yet.
As amusing as this is, I will say that it makes him a better driver. Maybe there is something to these safety features after all.
My car has a thing for drivers who don't signal. It's attached to my arm and hand and midway between my fingers.
So I recently bought a new Explorer Platinum. It has all the bells and whistles, which I love. It also has every safety feature imaginable. I thought some of them would drive me nuts, but I've found that I quickly got used to them, and now I really like and appreciate them. But there was an added benefit that I didn't anticipate.
For years, I have quietly fumed while my husband never used turn signals, drove too closely to the person in front of him, etc. I used to point it out sometimes, but he always insisted that he didn't do those things. It wasn't worth the fight, so I stopped bringing it up years ago.
He doesn't drive my car much, but when he does, boy is it fun now. Warning lights and alarms go off all the time. Steering wheel vibrates and resists as he tries to switch lanes without a turn signal. I just smile to myself and let him get frustrated. So far, I've resisted the urge to say, "I told you so." You can turn some of these features off, but he hasn't figured out how to do that yet.
As amusing as this is, I will say that it makes him a better driver. Maybe there is something to these safety features after all.
You're patient, CarnivalGal. Those sorts of drivers drive me crazy. My wife and I rode with a friend once, he gets PO'd at big trucks on the interstate if they don't stay in their two right lanes and cuts in on them. I guess to teach them a lesson. Really a wild man. My wife said she'd NEVER ride with him again, and I haven't either. Life's short enough, without getting it shortened some more.
You're patient, CarnivalGal. Those sorts of drivers drive me crazy. My wife and I rode with a friend once, he gets PO'd at big trucks on the interstate if they don't stay in their two right lanes and cuts in on them. I guess to teach them a lesson. Really a wild man. My wife said she'd NEVER ride with him again, and I haven't either. Life's short enough, without getting it shortened some more.
If the OP’s husband figures out how to disable warning devices, I guess the OP could trade HIM in for a safer model of man!
Several cars due this if they think you are drifting out of your lane....its to alert you to stay in your lane. Using the turn signal tells the car that it is intentional.
I have noticed that all of these features tend to make people worse and generally lazy drivers. I'm including myself in that statement until I realized. I think this is mostly because we learn to trust the nannies in the car instead of our own observations. I started relying on that little lane change light instead of looking in my mirror or turning to check my blind spot... until I almost ran somebody off the road because it didn't light up while they were next to me. I also backed into a ledge on a wall while parking (minor bump) because I couldn't see it in the backup camera and I didn't use my mirror or turn my head. I observe similar behaviors in other drivers all the time. I honestly believe that all these new advances in technology are making worse drivers. There may still be an overall benefit, but I'm not positive about that.
On a side note, I had to turn off the forward collision automatic braking in my car. More than once it almost got me killed in a similar scenario. I would be accelerating to pass on the highway with a car in front of me before I change lanes. As I start to change lanes, the car would slam on the brakes, I guess assuming I was going to hit the car in front of me and didn't register that I was going around it. Now I'm braking hard and slowing down in the left lane with highway traffic rapidly approaching from behind. It is also quite unsettling to have a car slam on the brakes with nothing in front of you when you don't expect it.
Speak for yourself. I still turn my head to do a lane change because I don’t trust anything. It’s just an additional heads up. I still drive cars like it’s 1950 and just use modern features as an “aid” just like the owners manual says they are. It only makes you lazy if you let it.
I helped an older couple pick a car and I was telling them about all the new safety stuff but they didn’t understand how it worked and acted like they didn’t care if their vehicle had it or not (about $3k extra). Some people just aren’t down with all the buzzers and flashing lights.
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