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Is it even useful if it's merely assisting the driver, though? I haven't used it, but actively steering a car while someone else is also actively steering it so

Is it even useful if it's merely assisting the driver, though? I haven't used it, but actively steering a car while someone else is also actively steering it sounds pretty terrible. If you're not actively steering it but just waiting to take over if things go poorly, things also seem like they'd be difficult. Other than getting in an accident, how is a person supposed to know when autopilot is doing it's thing correctly, and when it isn't?

the_mitsuhiko 10y ago
> but actively steering a car while someone else is also actively steering it sounds pretty terrible. My passat has most assist systems and I like how it steers. It tries very hard to get my attention and get my hands back on the steering wheel. It barely lets me keep my hands 15 seconds of the wheel but this is perfect for what it's designed to do: keep you in the lane if you are being distracted by something (eg: baby). Even more it has various modes to get your attention back including detecting tiredness and inability to hold the steering wheel on the lane.
- jacquesm 10y ago
  > keep you in the lane if you are being distracted by something (eg: baby). If you can't drive responsibly with a baby on board lane assist isn't going to save your ass. If something happens to your baby which distracts you ask someone else in the car to take care of it, if there is nobody to help pull over at the earliest opportunity. Lane assist will not save you from anything else but lane departure and there are a lot of other things that can go wrong while you allow yourself to be distracted because you rely on lane assist to keep you safe. That's not the intended use of this feature.
  - newjersey 10y ago
    I can't imagine the gymnastics involved in this feat either. A baby doesn't belong on the front seat without some modifications to the car as far as I know. I absolutely agree. There is absolutely no excuse for the driver to take their eyes off the road to assist a baby in the car. How would you assist a baby in the back seat while driving with a seat belt on anyway? As I read about people using these features, I'm convinced they shouldn't exist. Yes, crazies will apply eyeliner while going sixty on a highway but I doubt driver assist is an adequate solution for such stupidity should a driver poke themselves in the eye.
    - jakobegger 10y ago
      Pretty much every modern car has a way to deactivate the passenger airbag specifically so you can place a baby seat in the front.
      - uptown 10y ago
        At least in the United States, most state laws dictate that babies are to ride in the back seat (if available) in child seats. Some states also dictate when a child can be turned around to face forward. Varies state to state. Here's a state-by-state break-down: http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/childsafety_laws.html http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/childsafety_laws.htm...
    - the_mitsuhiko 10y ago
      Who said anything about a) baby on a front seat (which is not permitted anyways) and b) assisting a baby. If you have ever driven with a baby or child in a car you will have learned that they can cry or make a tantrum. Assist systems are intended to supplement and assist the driver in situations of increased stress. The idea that one would actively take their hands off the wheel to do something with a child is so preposterous ghat only commenters on HN could seriously suggest that.
      - Goronmon 10y ago
        I wouldn't worry about it. Some people just feel a constant need to get up on that high horse whenever possible.
  - the_mitsuhiko 10y ago
    Getting distracted by a sudden cry or a little child throwing an item is precisely what the feature was designed for. It was not designed for watching TV or cosntantly getting your hands of the wheel to do something else. Also I find it interesting how much you assume about a person or situation from a single word.
    - jessaustin 10y ago
      Be honest, it's for texting, right? b^)
  - Goronmon 10y ago
    If you can't drive responsibly with a baby on board lane assist isn't going to save your ass. You seem really defensive about a pretty inoffensive remark. Maybe you need to reflect on why you are so angry about something so trivial.

the_mitsuhiko 10y ago

> but actively steering a car while someone else is also actively steering it sounds pretty terrible. My passat has most assist systems and I like how it steers. It tries very hard to get my attention and get my hands back on the steering wheel. It barely lets me keep my hands 15 seconds of the wheel but this is perfect for what it's designed to do: keep you in the lane if you are being distracted by something (eg: baby). Even more it has various modes to get your attention back including detecting tiredness and inability to hold the steering wheel on the lane.

jacquesm 10y ago
> keep you in the lane if you are being distracted by something (eg: baby). If you can't drive responsibly with a baby on board lane assist isn't going to save your ass. If something happens to your baby which distracts you ask someone else in the car to take care of it, if there is nobody to help pull over at the earliest opportunity. Lane assist will not save you from anything else but lane departure and there are a lot of other things that can go wrong while you allow yourself to be distracted because you rely on lane assist to keep you safe. That's not the intended use of this feature.
- newjersey 10y ago
  I can't imagine the gymnastics involved in this feat either. A baby doesn't belong on the front seat without some modifications to the car as far as I know. I absolutely agree. There is absolutely no excuse for the driver to take their eyes off the road to assist a baby in the car. How would you assist a baby in the back seat while driving with a seat belt on anyway? As I read about people using these features, I'm convinced they shouldn't exist. Yes, crazies will apply eyeliner while going sixty on a highway but I doubt driver assist is an adequate solution for such stupidity should a driver poke themselves in the eye.
  - jakobegger 10y ago
    Pretty much every modern car has a way to deactivate the passenger airbag specifically so you can place a baby seat in the front.
    - uptown 10y ago
      At least in the United States, most state laws dictate that babies are to ride in the back seat (if available) in child seats. Some states also dictate when a child can be turned around to face forward. Varies state to state. Here's a state-by-state break-down: http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/childsafety_laws.html http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/childsafety_laws.htm...
  - the_mitsuhiko 10y ago
    Who said anything about a) baby on a front seat (which is not permitted anyways) and b) assisting a baby. If you have ever driven with a baby or child in a car you will have learned that they can cry or make a tantrum. Assist systems are intended to supplement and assist the driver in situations of increased stress. The idea that one would actively take their hands off the wheel to do something with a child is so preposterous ghat only commenters on HN could seriously suggest that.
    - Goronmon 10y ago
      I wouldn't worry about it. Some people just feel a constant need to get up on that high horse whenever possible.
- the_mitsuhiko 10y ago
  Getting distracted by a sudden cry or a little child throwing an item is precisely what the feature was designed for. It was not designed for watching TV or cosntantly getting your hands of the wheel to do something else. Also I find it interesting how much you assume about a person or situation from a single word.
  - jessaustin 10y ago
    Be honest, it's for texting, right? b^)
- Goronmon 10y ago
  If you can't drive responsibly with a baby on board lane assist isn't going to save your ass. You seem really defensive about a pretty inoffensive remark. Maybe you need to reflect on why you are so angry about something so trivial.