4 ms·
> every once in a while the car thinks it knows how to drive better than you A few months ago I took a rental car - I don't drive much any more so I don't own
by nosianu 6y ago
> every once in a while the car thinks it knows how to drive better than you
A few months ago I took a rental car - I don't drive much any more so I don't own one. On the (German) Autobahn there always is a lot of construction going on. There are yellow stripes overriding the white ones for where the lanes are, because often they reroute one or two lanes to the opposite side so the lanes get a lot more narrow for all. You still have four lanes but only 2/3rd of the width, while they work on the now free and unused part.
Unbeknown to me my car had active lane keeping assistance and I had a really hard time when it tried, with not insignificant force especially when it surprises you, to keep the car within the white stripes. I could have collided with the car next to me with a little bad luck there. It was not easy to force the steering wheel, against the power of the active system, with only one hand while using the other one to navigate the menus to turn off that darn dangerous system. Or find one of the 50 buttons to do it.
The most dangerous part was the initial seconds when I crossed over to the lanes, following the yellow stripes, and suddenly somebody, some force, took the steering wheel and steered in the opposite direction. It took me a few seconds to understand what was going on, I did not expect that there would be a turned-on active system. I had only had experience with passive systems that would not interfere with steering, cruise control and distance-to-car-in-front control as the only active systems. But taking my steering wheel from me???
- marshmallow_12 6y agothere should be an active button that disables all electronic assists with 1 press. I have no idea how such a dangerous system passed safety regs. Was it a mercedes by any chance?
- NoOneNew 6y agoThat read like a ghost/horror story. Technology suddenly thinking it knows better than a meat sack. Taking control over the archaic chemical construction's destiny. Deciding not just which direction to take the fragile bundle of energy, but if its blood should remain warm even if the creature wants to avoid the cold. All it takes is a sudden electrical hand over the flesh for the wheel.