Thread: Who would have thought

The French are in the process of passing a law which will require manufacturers to indicate whether their products will be repairable.

https://prompt-project.eu/repair-mad...ing%20products.

I don’t know how many times the tractor has automatically slammed on its brakes thinking I was about to hit something. It’s usually approaching an underpass when this happens. If this happens when the pavement is slick, I’ll be in the ditch. No thank you on having this feature on a vehicle I’m paying for. I get why others may want it, but I don’t.

Im with ya Slim. I had that on a new truck and I took the truck back to the yard. Told them I will drive the old truck before I deal with that again. Playing in the mountains on ice and snow there was no way I was going for that. They ordered me a new truck without all the stupid sensors and gave the other one to someone else. Mine is computerized to the max without sensors.

Originally Posted by slim6596

I get why others may want it, but I don’t.

I can absolutely relate to this. I don't particularly want these things on my vehicle, but my folks (late 70s, reflexes aren't what they used to be) find them really helpful. Having them on by default with the option to override makes sense, but then we're back at the Dunning-Kruger conundrum in which people will over-estimate their own driving ability.

Another one of those things where the simple answer might not be so simple.

Legislators (and insurers) will look at this from a very high-level vantage point and implement the laws and policies they feel will have the greatest effect for the population as a whole. So odds are folks who are good drivers who really don't need the extra bells and whistles will end up being annoyed by things that are genuinely helpful to less able drivers with the effect of reducing the total number of accidents and fatalities on the road. When I buy my next vehicle, I assume it will come with all the bells and whistles and for a while at least it will annoy the ever loving shit out of me. But if that's part of a larger process that makes roads safer, I think I'm OK with that.

The other thing is that I suspect the different warnings, assists, etc., will improve with time. Hopefully they will tweak them so that they are more subtle but still effective. Who knows... time will tell, I guess.

EDIT: Jerry's post reminded me I forgot to add: my thoughts above are for the general car-driving public. I think pros like you guys have a skill set that's at a whole different level and so have entirely different needs (or lack thereof) for these doodads.

Originally Posted by planeden

My truck is a 2003, so my experience with most of these features is second hand. But, all of the features that try to control my car scare me. Anti lock brakes still scare me, not that it comes up often, because it seems like my brakes have failed when I really need them.

I also find the alarms distracting. I was in a car that a little light flashed in the mirror every time a car was next to me. So, every time a car was next to me I looked in the mirror instead of where I thought I should be looking at the time. There are some features, like the cross traffic info, that sounds pretty good in some situations, but just politely tell me and let me drive, please.

The car has a flashing light in the door mirrors when a car comes past but i don't really take much notice unless i actually want to move out, the steering wheel shudders if i cross the line while driving which can give spurious warnings if i have to move out to pass something on the side of the road but I can live with it.

I don't get any audible alerts unless I am to close to something in front, like 2 feet from it and if I am about a foot from something at the side. If nothing else it stops me scratching the car.

I also get an audible alarm if something or someone crosses behind while I am in reverse which can make me jump but no complaints because I think it's a great feature.

Originally Posted by slim6596

I don’t know how many times the tractor has automatically slammed on its brakes thinking I was about to hit something. It’s usually approaching an underpass when this happens. If this happens when the pavement is slick, I’ll be in the ditch. No thank you on having this feature on a vehicle I’m paying for. I get why others may want it, but I don’t.

When you said "tractor" I thought you were going to talk about hay bales and fence posts. I once saw a show about yall's visibility and it literally showed a car change lanes in front of the truck and disappear right under your nose. So, I guess with this system someone could change lanes in front of you, slam on your brakes, and you wouldn't even know why. I'll tell you what though, ever since I saw that show I have never darted in front of a semi in traffic. Not for you, mind you, but because if you don't know I'm there and I have to hit the brakes....lol.

Originally Posted by STF

The car has a flashing light in the door mirrors when a car comes past but i don't really take much notice unless i actually want to move out, the steering wheel shudders if i cross the line while driving which can give spurious warnings if i have to move out to pass something on the side of the road but I can live with it.

I don't get any audible alerts unless I am to close to something in front, like 2 feet from it and if I am about a foot from something at the side. If nothing else it stops me scratching the car.

I also get an audible alarm if something or someone crosses behind while I am in reverse which can make me jump but no complaints because I think it's a great feature.

Please don't mistake me, I did not mean that I thought the whole idea was terrible. I am with cangooner, I can see why people want them, just right now I think I would prefer to opt out.

As a professional driver (I hate being called a pro at anything but...) You are right about some of these options being very annoying and not needed for most. The problem is the company's that own the trucks get discounts from insurance if they have so many of these vehicles in their fleet. Also there is something called a C.S.A. score and I don't want to get into explaining that mess. It will also give companies a little higher rating if they have these vehicles. PLUS, The fact that most new Comercial Drivers (What us old times call Steering Wheel Holders) Should have these items because they are not taught to drive the way us old-timers were. Nowadays its get through the course as fast as possible and "Bam" your a driver. Now you know nothing about the reality of driving but go for it.

Sorry, I just get on a rant now and then about all this new technology that I personally do not need. Why force it on me. I'm just lucky the company I work for understood my position and agreed with me. Other company drivers are stuck with what their company gives them.

I will fade out and go away now. Sorry.

I see so many of our new drivers for Walmart Private Fleet who can’t even back a trailer into a dock or parking spot it’s crazy. I’ve literally pulled past a driver trying to back a trailer into a slot, dropped my trailer in its slot, hooked to another, pretripped it, got a snack ready for the road, and pulled out before the other guy got parked and dropped his trailer. Makes me nervous to think of those drivers on the road.