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And of course, in my mind, I think it would contribute to less driver proactive involvement behind the wheel and settle into potentially dangerous complacency, relying on the technology to always cover their butt.
One area it could not be faulted (setting potential RF interference on the shelf for now) would be for drivers falling asleep or driving too fast in fog...but again, both are driver error. We would have to weigh those instances saved, vs the other potential instances gained due to the complacency I mentioned above.
Really my idea is just a bridge to vehicles driving themselves which would require some intercommunication. I'd guess the wireless devices would use the unlicensed 2.4ghz Wi-Fi / Bluetooth bands and the cellular bands already available. This communication would be just quick signal commands between vehicles, nothing too data intensive so it shouldn't be too burdensome.
IEEE and ITU should come up with some vehicle protocols for auto manufacturers to get things started.
It doesn't communicate with other vehicles, it determines where the vehicle is in relation to its surroundings.
If you get too close to the vehicle in front of you, it starts to apply the brakes.
There is a huge push in the European market for this type of technology to be implemented.
Subaru B9 Tribeca Maintenance & Repair
Another thought I had is this: Those of you who are European or have lived in Europe will know how rigorous their inspection process is for existing vehicles. Here in Texas, at least, my annual inspection consists pretty much exclusively of sticking a sniffer in the tailpipe to make sure my emissions levels are low and checking that all the lights on the car come on. The condition of my tires, suspension, glass, brakes, etc., don't seem to matter much. Taking poorly-maintained cars off the road would, I think, make us all safer.
Around here, you don't even need an inspection - bi-yearly emissions check, and that's it. Not even a light check.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Yep; I saw it first run. Bill Hickman's work in Bullitt, The French Connection, and the Seven Ups are still head and shoulders above virtually every other car chase- they posess a sense of realism and tension that simply cannot be replicated by CGI work. I also like the driving in Ronin, Two Lane Blacktop, and Vanishing Point.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
I don't remember the other scenes in that movie, just the rapids. Ok, and the banjo player. :shades:
Sam
I didn't even know what kind of sedan it was until I noticed the stenciling on the door. Didn't notice the mudflats either - I was focused on the passenger compartment.
IIHS just put the video on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT3G-kcKN70
Oh of course. I don't think Hyundai even makes trailers. Sorry. I know now my post was misunderstood. A few emoticons might have helped it.
Sam
Oh, for the good old days:
Video: "Killed Myself When I Was Young" Compilation of Vintage Crashes (Straightline)
One thing about that picture is the fact that trailers are now required to have impact barriers that extend down to prevent cars from doing what it shows in that picture.
Each trailer and semitrailer with a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 kg (10,000 pounds) or more, and manufactured on or after January 26, 1998, must be equipped with a rear impact guard that meets the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 223 (49 CFR 571.223) in effect at the time the vehicle was manufactured.
One of the problems with some commercial trailers is that the impact guards are often already bent from a previous impact. Enforcement of rules that are already in place is what is needed.
My guess is that the current impact barriers don't help much, even when they aren't bent. Any idea how all those formulas at the CFR line translate to approximate speeds?
Years ago at a safety conference I sat in a 5-mph crash simulator and remember feeling totally jarred from the experience and the subsequent thought of how fast cars are usually moving.
I wish there were stricter enforcement of distracted driving laws. It is very easy to identify someone who is clearly not paying attention to the road, and pulling them over, if for no other reason than to have a talk with them, might be beneficial.
A couple of weeks ago, we were on the interstate in a total traffic jam. Two out of four lanes were closed due to an accident, and traffic in the other two was moving at 3-5 MPH, when it moved at all. The guy behind us HIT us! How do you HIT someone going that slowly? There's very little stoppage distance needed at that speed, so I contend that it had to be lack of attention. When we stopped again, my boyfriend got out of the car and had a word with the guy - "hey, could you please TRY not to hit us again, dude?"
Anyone ever confronted a distracted driver? Or just a plain, bad driver??
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I don't look for confrontations, but I've been yelled at a couple times, for stupid things that offended the ignorant. Best one in my mind was an old [non-permissible content removed] in a Caravan who yelled at me for cutting across a parking lot/not driving in the lanes (mind you it was 9am and the place was empty). I told him that if he didn't like my driving, he was free to call the police. No reply.
"Data supplied to Edmunds.com by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a custom report show drivers age 65 and older are persistently and significantly less likely to injure or kill pedestrians in motor vehicle crashes compared with drivers in the 28 to 40 age group, who also score much worse in this regard than teenage drivers."
NHTSA Report: Pedestrian Risk Lower In Older Drivers (AutoObserver)
Actually, if those stats are true ("custom report" is kind of scary), distractions such as phones and food are certainly behind it.
"For the most part, the driving reality prevails and drivers use their expertise and best judgment to navigate safely.
•high-intensity drivers use their own judgment about the rate of speed to travel, constantly adjusting based on traffic conditions
•high-intensity drivers seek to accommodate.
•Most of those who drive high-traffic freeways regularly are highly proficient drivers.
•practice defensive driving with predominant thought given to driving needs, the road and other drivers"
Creating A Safety Culture (AutoObserver)
I'd say many of us on this site are "high intensity" drivers, myself included. I'm far from perfect, but I pay attention to everything continuously, and the lack of crashes and tickets on my record can't be out of coincidence.
You'll get better as you get closer to my age.
"With age we know that people generally make more appropriate decisions in the vehicle. They self regulate and take themselves out of situations where they perceive the risk is high. That includes not driving at night, avoiding left turns, driving during non–rush hour periods. In essence, they make themselves safer drivers by taking less risk. In younger groups, what we see is they don't have that level of judgment. They're “invincible,” per se."
Confronting 'Age' Of Driver Distraction At MIT (AutoObserver)
I guess not driving at all is the best way to have less incidents.
I don't know if the civil war vet in his pristine 20 year old Caddy going 55 in the left lane of a 60 with traffic flying around him is making an appropriate decision - something that seems to come with age.
It's going to be scary as hell in about 20 years when the boomers get to be elderly, but won't have the ability to admit it. Many also seem to have more money than they deserve, which means behemoth motorhomes and poserfied Harleys will be even more of a problem.
I pulled out of a BBQ joint going left on a four lane and hit a car in the fender. Ruined my dinner.
The car was a nice pristine Cadillac driven by a woman toting her grandkids somewhere. :shades:
I was around 27 at the time, and I've tried to avoid unprotected left turns ever since, especially on busier streets.
I've never had a problem with left turns on 4+ lane roads, but they aren't the most common here in the land of congestion and divided roads.
Hey, I'm not that old! I'm a youthful veteran of the Spanish-American War!
Around here, most busy roads have traffic controls and dividers.
No kiddin'. And it often works, too.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Halt!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
Electronic stability-control systems, plus more and smarter air bags have become standard equipment. More and more SUVs were shifted off of heavy pickup-truck frames, and on to a lower-riding chassis shared with sedans or minivans.
The result: NHTSA says the fatality rate for rollover accidents involving all SUVs was cut in half between 1999 and 2009."
SUVs: Safer, Heavier, But What About the Gas? (WSJ)
Explain.
Progress Isn't Linear (AutoObserver)
Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl reacted with these words: "Interesting idea: Toyota should have built in preventative measure for a defect that may not exist."
What do you think?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)