Statistics are great until you’re the one taking the risk. I’m in control of scenario 1. As long as I don’t do foolish things, the odds are very low I will need this electronic nanny. I have zero control of the thing malfunctioning while it’s turned on. It doesn’t take much thought to see how random panic stops might put me at risk. The choice is obvious for me.
I had a similar experience with my new 2010 Kia Forte SX 2.4L I4 6spd MT. The dealership did not have a M/T SX so I test drove an A/T. I asked the salesman if Traction/Stability Control TCS/ESC could be turned off? He replied “Yes, but why would I want to”? I replied because I would like to see how my car handles with and without it. They quickly located the car I wanted in Washington State. About 200 miles away. It was exactly what I requested. Even the color. Titanium which used to be called Gunmetal. No longer PC in 2010. I drove it with TCS/ESC on and off with no appreciable difference so I left it on. I was negotiating a curve (Clear weather. Dry pavement.) which I normally slowed to 30mph for but for some reason had slowed to 25mph. I was exiting the curve which was slightly uphill and pushed the accelerator. The more I pushed the accelerator the more the brakes were applied until the engine stalled. I re-started, turned off TCS/ESC and everything was fine. I reported it to the dealer and they could find no faults or similar reports. I solved the problem by turning off TCS/ESC whenever I approached that curve or an identical one on another road.
I’ve got Libre and it’s free. Just as good as Word. I liked Wordstar better though. I prefer my cars without automatic brakes and steering though.
We have many users that note deficiencies in open office, and my boss has been on word perfect so long we buy him a license for each new computer. Our Rav4 saleseman related his story, rainy day, auto stop did not work and drove through the cardboard target, don’t depend on it lesson of the day, stopping unnecessarily is a hazard, if I got rear ended due to it because of radio frequency interference etc, lawyer time.
Heard this one a long time ago. “Computers are stupid. They only do what you tel them to do.”
Most vehicle salesmen really don’t know all there is to know about the vehicles they are trying to sell.
On many vehicles the auto stop will not engage below a certain speed . Another forum had a poster mad because he kept hitting a cardboard box in his driveway test of the auto brake. Finally someone told him that his vehicle had to be doing 30 MPH before the system became active.
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This was a company sponsored training for the new model features.
It says right in the manual not to depend on it. These systems are meant solely as a “the guy behind the wheel is unconscious or an idiot” emergency backup. You are not supposed to rely on them to keep you out of wrecks. The manual also notes that it’s not necessarily going to prevent a wreck. But it might, possibly, reduce the collision speed when the wreck happens.
If you get rear ended by a vehicle with this system in place, hopefully your lawyer will be pointed at the fool behind the wheel rather than the car maker, because it’s not the car maker’s fault that their customer drives like a moron.
The wording in commercials for vehicles with autonomous features strongly suggests that the driver need not be preoccupied with driving and if your attention is taken off the road for a short time there’s no problem. One in particular vaguely alludes that the system’s control allows for texting, etc. or playing chess maybe but the wording does leave them a great deal of legal leeway.
This happened a few days ago.
Lies, Damned Lies, and Advertising!