7 ms·

I really wonder where we're headed (in general, not specifically with Teslas) regarding technologies requirements to "do enough to prevent misuse." These requi

I really wonder where we're headed (in general, not specifically with Teslas) regarding technologies requirements to "do enough to prevent misuse." These requirements are already a major thorn in my side. My car has sensors to detect when a passenger isn't wearing a seat belt and to blast an ear-hurting alarm directly at the driver. It's so loud that it's actually a safety issue in itself because it's hard to focus on driving when there is a blaring alarm in your face. The worst of the problem though, is that the system is made to be ultra cautious and thus has a lot of false positives. For example, if I put my backpack on the passenger seat, I have to plug the seat belt in otherwise it will scream at me once my speed hits 10 MPH. Or if one of my kids decides to change seats so unbuckles and moves to a new chair and buckles in that one, then the car will scream at me unless both buckles are buckled, even if there's no weight in the previous seat. It takes several minutes to timeout and stop, meanwhile it is ear-splittingly loud and so bad that it's unsafe to drive while it's blaring. There are more things, like if I leave the engine running while walking away with the key fob in my pocket, it will loudly honk twice. This happens constantly. Just this morning it honked ear splittingly loud in my face while I was scraping the ice from my windshield. Then of course there is the complete disabling of the in-car navigation controls while moving, so my passenger can't configure the map while I'm driving, even though there is absolutely no reason to do that. The net result is also that I end up using my phone which is way less safe because I have to look down and the controls are not even remotely optimized for quick and low-attention use. Our modern way of maximizing the responsiblity of the manufacturer to prevent misuse and minimizing the liability of the person doing the misusing is leading us to some real bad places IMHO.

peteradio 3y ago
Agreed. I heard a story about a guy who is used to chewing tobacco while driving and would crack open the door and spit while moving at speed. He tried doing this in his son's new jeep and the car immediately slammed on the brakes and nearly caused an accident. Obviously cracking the door to spit out the bottom isn't too safe but slamming on the brakes? What why?
- Cacti 3y ago
  What exactly is the issue? That the guy has been recklessly opening his car door, while driving it, at speed, for his entire life?
  - peteradio 3y ago
    The issue is that its not safe to activate the emergency brake at highway speeds. It seems like an anti-safety feature.
    - ceejayoz 3y ago
      Isn’t it recommended in a brake failure situation? Car to neutral, engage emergency brake.
      - peteradio 3y ago
        That's an emergency maneuver where you are trying to land an out of control vehicle, don't really see how it applies to the above scenario. So no its still not safe but neither is having no brakes.
        ceejayoz 3y ago
        A door opening on the highway is an emergency scenario, too. The car is correct to go “what the fuck?!”
        freedomben 3y ago
        I wonder if this is a cultural difference. When I was a kid, because people did this all the time for various reasons. It's less common now (or at least, in the circle of people who ride in my car it is), especially with better door ajar sensors, but still a situation in which if it happened in my car I would guess the door hadn't been shut all the way and they were just closing it. As a teenager/20s in the 90s/00s, having tobacco spit and realizing you forgot your cup was a semi-common reason to do that. The alternative (assuming you weren't so classless as to spit on the floormat) was to swallow the spit which is really terrible for you.
Cacti 3y ago
Except for the nav, most people would consider the occasional beep to be a petty minor issue. Except for the nav thing, these things have been around for ages, and if you’re struggling with them that heavily, I would suggest that features that have been pretty standard for 30+ years that the issue might not be the features.
- freedomben 3y ago
  > most people would consider the occasional beep to be a petty minor issue. Ok so you didn't actually read my comment. Granted it was long, but if you're going to reply you should probably actually read it
  - Loughla 3y ago
    I read your comment, hyperbole and all. The seat belt dinging is a minor inconvenience. The key fob honking can probably be controlled via your car settings. I turned the honking off on my car, now it softly dings at me once. You're being very, very dramatic, is my point. If the seat belt alarm is that ear splitting, you might want to talk to a doctor?
    - freedomben 3y ago
      There wasn't any hyperbole. It's loud enough that it is physically painful, not just annoying. And if you read what I said, it's not the "occasional beep", it's a continual blast of loud tones. And I already looked through the car settings for the horn, and it can't be turned off. Some people on the internet have figured out how to hack it off with OBD2, but if that's what you're suggesting then that's ludicrous and extreme HN bubble. I tried it anyway, but even if it had worked, suggesting people do that is not in any way a reasonable answer to the problem (though is more reasonable than what you're doing, which is dismissing it as not real without even experiencing it). And thanks for the free medical advice, but I actually have talked to a doctor and I actually have minor hearing loss, not hearing gain or whatever medical "problem" you think might cause people to hear something louder than it is.
Infinitesimus 3y ago
These depend heavily on car. What kind of car is this? The decision to have an annoying beep instead of a soft ding or pop up is stupid but many cars do this. Mine handles seatbelts well and never has a false positive there so it's not a general modern car problem (2021 sonata).
- freedomben 3y ago
  Nice, that's good to know. It's a 2023 Toyota Sienna, and historically Toyota has been the most sensible of cars I've driven (much, much better than Ford). I'm overall pretty pleased with it, minus a few rough edges like mentioned. I'm really glad to hear that it's not a widespread industry issue though.
B1FF_PSUVM 3y ago
On the other hand, a couple of days ago I set the parking brake and absentmindedly walked out of a car with the automatic transmission still in reverse ... fortunately the brake held, I was behind the car going "huh, funny, the reverse lights are on ... oh, **!"
- freedomben 3y ago
  Yeah agreed, I'm not against all safety features. That one seems like a pretty straight forward safety solution though. If an auto transmission is still in gear, the parking break is on, and the key fob has left the vehicle, I think an attention-getting noise is appropriate in that case.
  - grepfru_it 3y ago
    Both my 2013 and 2014 cars will loudly announce the car is still in gear if you open the door at any speed, including stopped.
    - kccqzy 3y ago
      My car automatically shifts to Park when the driver side door is opened if it is stopped. It does this even if it is in Neutral. The car wash person was very unhappy about it, until I offered to sit inside to make sure it stays in Neutral
  - B1FF_PSUVM 3y ago
    I was going for the Darwin with a 2007 model, still uses ignition key, fob is only for remote locks. But yeah, I've been spoiled by modern fobs you don't even take out of your pocket. I really like those, that's the kind of convenience that makes you sign up for robot overlords ...
    - jjav 3y ago
      > I really like those, that's the kind of convenience that makes you sign up for robot overlords These can be super annoying. My partner has a car which just spontaneously unlocks whenever the key approaches. Which is ridiculous since often I'm just walking to the mailbox or out to a different car and have zero desire to unlock that particular car. It just assumes, without understanding what I'm actually doing. Which is the fundamental UX problem with all these misfeatures.
MattRix 3y ago
I feel like all of these are minor annoyances compared to the more serious safety issues they are trying to prevent. I feel like you are underestimating how stupid the average user is… and especially how stupid the most stupid users are.
- lallysingh 3y ago
  It's not mainly dumb users, it's users when they're tired, distracted, or ill. Everyone gets like that and some safeguards make sense.
- multimoon 3y ago
  We have a drivers exam in one form or another in nearly every country that is intended to certify and evaluate your ability to pilot a vehicle. While it doesn’t always, it should include all facets of driving and the car shouldn’t need to hold your hand. I strongly believe that this hand holding cars are required to do now just lowers the average skill of new drivers. A great example of this is an alarming amount of new drivers are absolutely incapable of backing a vehicle up unguided on mirrors alone, they rely solely on the backup camera and it was never a skill they had to learn.
  - MattRix 3y ago
    Not sure if part of your argument is that we shouldn’t have safety features like a backup camera because they lead to worse drivers… because that is absurd. At the end of the day, you are never going to be able to do tests or training to the level where it invalidates the need for good UX and safety features. Even for tasks with extensive training like air pilots, there is still a tremendous amount of effort put towards safety and usability. Human beings are fallible.
  - acdha 3y ago
    The United States has 43k fatalities caused by drivers every year, and millions of people suffer life-altering injuries and billions in property damages. There are only two ways we’re going to improve that: letting fewer people drive or making cars harder to use unsafely. Since there’s intense political opposition to building bike/transit infrastructure, removing driving privileges or even ticketing unsafe drivers, we’re going to keep seeing attempts to solve the problem with technical measures.
ceejayoz 3y ago
> My car has sensors to detect when a passenger isn't wearing a seat belt and to blast an ear-hurting alarm directly at the driver. It's so loud that it's actually a safety issue in itself because it's hard to focus on driving when there is a blaring alarm in your face. What make and model is this?
- freedomben 3y ago
  2023 Toyota Sienna
  - ceejayoz 3y ago
    https://www.justanswer.com/toyota/mb45v-own-23-toyota-corolla-lower.html https://www.justanswer.com/toyota/mb45v-own-23-toyota-coroll... > Start by sitting in the driver's seat and closing the door. Buckle your seat belt. Turn the ignition to the "On" position without starting the engine. Within a few seconds of turning the ignition on, unbuckle and then re-buckle your seat belt three times, making sure each action is completed quickly. After the third buckle action, keep the seat belt buckled and wait for approximately 20 seconds. You should hear a confirmation sound or see a visual indication that the seat belt warning chime volume can now be adjusted. Use the volume control buttons on the steering wheel or the audio system controls to adjust the volume. Please note that the specific buttons or menu options for adjusting the volume may vary depending on your Corolla's trim level and audio system. Worth a shot? Sounds like it’s adjustable (presuming Corolla and Sienna share some software) and yours is set a bit high.
    - mavhc 3y ago
      Is there a complete list of cheat codes for your car?
      - ceejayoz 3y ago
        I'm sure the service manuals they provide to mechanics cover these. Details vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but they're quite common. https://lifehacker.com/hack-your-ride-cheat-codes-and-workarounds-for-your-ca-5893227 https://lifehacker.com/hack-your-ride-cheat-codes-and-workar...
trilbyglens 3y ago
This reenforces my instinct to buy the dumbest thing on the market.
- FirmwareBurner 3y ago
  Lada Niva
  - poisonborz 3y ago
    If you can buy one from 30 years ago kept in a collection. With current ones you have some parts that are still built like a tank, but other parts just fall apart. You can't buy dumb AND quality cars outside of the maker/restoration scene.
  - rasputnik6502 3y ago
    [dead]
  - genocidicbunny 3y ago
    From what I recall reading recently, the most recent models are cheap Chinese-made cars with the bare minimum of attention and QC put into them. Like, frame welded with spot welds that can be pulled apart by hand kind of issues.
    - FireBeyond 3y ago
      Let's not just throw that in the box of "cheap Chinese". Tesla has shipped cars with windshields not attached to the vehicle in any way, has shipped cars with missing brake pads, etc.
      - genocidicbunny 3y ago
        I'm not. This is not the 'cheap Chinese' box. This is the 'absolute worst possible quality car that stays together long enough to ship to Russia and get sold before it falls apart after the first rough ride' box. Tesla's QC issues make them look like bespoke works of art compared to what I saw of some of the newest Ladas. It's one thing when you're missing parts or badly glued windshields. It's a whole other thing when the welds holding the frame of your car together have the structural integrity of butter on Venus.
dangus 3y ago
> My car has sensors to detect when a passenger isn't wearing a seat belt and to blast an ear-hurting alarm directly at the driver. It's so loud that it's actually a safety issue in itself because it's hard to focus on driving when there is a blaring alarm in your face. You aren’t supposed to be driving until all occupants in your vehicle have buckled their seatbelts. That’s why the alarm is loud and annoying, because obviously you can’t be trusted to follow basic motor vehicle laws. You’re not supposed to be focused on driving before everyone is buckled in.
- MarkusWandel 3y ago
  My car's gone the opposite way. When trying to find it in the parking lot, with the old one, you just pushed "lock" on the keyfob twice and listened for the horn honk. The new one makes a nice, elegant but not very loud "beep" sound. Useless for this purpose. They also got the seat belt warning right. At startup it displays a map of the seats, green if occupied and buckled, red if not, grey if unoccupied. Good for checking that the kids did up their seat belts in the back, without being annoying. I'm guessing it does have a nag chime, but the kids have behaved so far... I do have to say, the only complaint about the gimcrackery in mine (low-ish trim level 2023 Honda Civic) is that the menu UI is a bit clunky. But nothing gets in your way once adjusted properly and the automations (e.g. you can't manually time the windshield washer squirt any more - it squirts at the optimum angle of the wipers) work pretty well.
  - badpun 3y ago
    > My car's gone the opposite way. When trying to find it in the parking lot, with the old one, you just pushed "lock" on the keyfob twice and listened for the horn honk. The new one makes a nice, elegant but not very loud "beep" sound. Useless for this purpose. Good for everyone around though, because you're not polluting the soundscape with a completely unncessary honk. Where I live, honking within cities is allowed only in emergency or dangerous situations. Not that anyone follows that law though.
    - MarkusWandel 3y ago
meibo 3y ago
> For example, if I put my backpack on the passenger seat Not trying to say that you're wrong, but an unsecured, heavy backpack is a real safety risk in even minor accidents. From the impact pattern, it's like having a pet or a baby in the front seat and not securing it.
- freedomben 3y ago
  Hmm, that's a fair point. Will need to think on that one for a bit.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
donatj 3y ago
My wife’s Scion lets out the worlds most painful screech if you try to lock the doors with one of them open. My Mazda will just… lock the doors. I don’t even understand what the Scion is trying to accomplish. It’s just trying to mock you I guess.
- ceejayoz 3y ago
  Surely that's obvious? The clear intent of locking the doors is to keep people out of your car. It's trying to warn you before you walk away from a car you think you've successfully secured but have not.
_ea1k 3y ago
> Then of course there is the complete disabling of the in-car navigation controls while moving, so my passenger can't configure the map while I'm driving Tesla allows this and a lot of other things. TBH, I'm shocked that NHTSA hasn't made them stop, given how quickly they've intervened when passengers were allowed to play solitaire on the screen in drive. :) I understand the reasoning, but it is all a bit weird given that people have a phone that they can use instead. And unfortunately, they do resort to the phone pretty regularly.
FireBeyond 3y ago
> is that the system is made to be ultra cautious and thus has a lot of false positives. For example, if I put my backpack on the passenger seat Given that FMVSS 208 mandates passenger occupation detection at 35lbs for seat belts, and 65lbs for airbags, I'm not sure what you're expecting from the system. How is it meant to differentiate between a 35lb backpack and a 35lb child?

peteradio 3y ago

Agreed. I heard a story about a guy who is used to chewing tobacco while driving and would crack open the door and spit while moving at speed. He tried doing this in his son's new jeep and the car immediately slammed on the brakes and nearly caused an accident. Obviously cracking the door to spit out the bottom isn't too safe but slamming on the brakes? What why?

Cacti 3y ago
What exactly is the issue? That the guy has been recklessly opening his car door, while driving it, at speed, for his entire life?
- peteradio 3y ago
  The issue is that its not safe to activate the emergency brake at highway speeds. It seems like an anti-safety feature.
  - ceejayoz 3y ago
    Isn’t it recommended in a brake failure situation? Car to neutral, engage emergency brake.
    - peteradio 3y ago
      That's an emergency maneuver where you are trying to land an out of control vehicle, don't really see how it applies to the above scenario. So no its still not safe but neither is having no brakes.
      - ceejayoz 3y ago
        A door opening on the highway is an emergency scenario, too. The car is correct to go “what the fuck?!”
        freedomben 3y ago
        I wonder if this is a cultural difference. When I was a kid, because people did this all the time for various reasons. It's less common now (or at least, in the circle of people who ride in my car it is), especially with better door ajar sensors, but still a situation in which if it happened in my car I would guess the door hadn't been shut all the way and they were just closing it. As a teenager/20s in the 90s/00s, having tobacco spit and realizing you forgot your cup was a semi-common reason to do that. The alternative (assuming you weren't so classless as to spit on the floormat) was to swallow the spit which is really terrible for you.

Cacti 3y ago

Except for the nav, most people would consider the occasional beep to be a petty minor issue. Except for the nav thing, these things have been around for ages, and if you’re struggling with them that heavily, I would suggest that features that have been pretty standard for 30+ years that the issue might not be the features.

freedomben 3y ago
> most people would consider the occasional beep to be a petty minor issue. Ok so you didn't actually read my comment. Granted it was long, but if you're going to reply you should probably actually read it
- Loughla 3y ago
  I read your comment, hyperbole and all. The seat belt dinging is a minor inconvenience. The key fob honking can probably be controlled via your car settings. I turned the honking off on my car, now it softly dings at me once. You're being very, very dramatic, is my point. If the seat belt alarm is that ear splitting, you might want to talk to a doctor?
  - freedomben 3y ago
    There wasn't any hyperbole. It's loud enough that it is physically painful, not just annoying. And if you read what I said, it's not the "occasional beep", it's a continual blast of loud tones. And I already looked through the car settings for the horn, and it can't be turned off. Some people on the internet have figured out how to hack it off with OBD2, but if that's what you're suggesting then that's ludicrous and extreme HN bubble. I tried it anyway, but even if it had worked, suggesting people do that is not in any way a reasonable answer to the problem (though is more reasonable than what you're doing, which is dismissing it as not real without even experiencing it). And thanks for the free medical advice, but I actually have talked to a doctor and I actually have minor hearing loss, not hearing gain or whatever medical "problem" you think might cause people to hear something louder than it is.

Infinitesimus 3y ago

These depend heavily on car. What kind of car is this? The decision to have an annoying beep instead of a soft ding or pop up is stupid but many cars do this. Mine handles seatbelts well and never has a false positive there so it's not a general modern car problem (2021 sonata).

freedomben 3y ago
Nice, that's good to know. It's a 2023 Toyota Sienna, and historically Toyota has been the most sensible of cars I've driven (much, much better than Ford). I'm overall pretty pleased with it, minus a few rough edges like mentioned. I'm really glad to hear that it's not a widespread industry issue though.

B1FF_PSUVM 3y ago

On the other hand, a couple of days ago I set the parking brake and absentmindedly walked out of a car with the automatic transmission still in reverse ... fortunately the brake held, I was behind the car going "huh, funny, the reverse lights are on ... oh, **!"

freedomben 3y ago
Yeah agreed, I'm not against all safety features. That one seems like a pretty straight forward safety solution though. If an auto transmission is still in gear, the parking break is on, and the key fob has left the vehicle, I think an attention-getting noise is appropriate in that case.
- grepfru_it 3y ago
  Both my 2013 and 2014 cars will loudly announce the car is still in gear if you open the door at any speed, including stopped.
  - kccqzy 3y ago
    My car automatically shifts to Park when the driver side door is opened if it is stopped. It does this even if it is in Neutral. The car wash person was very unhappy about it, until I offered to sit inside to make sure it stays in Neutral
- B1FF_PSUVM 3y ago
  I was going for the Darwin with a 2007 model, still uses ignition key, fob is only for remote locks. But yeah, I've been spoiled by modern fobs you don't even take out of your pocket. I really like those, that's the kind of convenience that makes you sign up for robot overlords ...
  - jjav 3y ago
    > I really like those, that's the kind of convenience that makes you sign up for robot overlords These can be super annoying. My partner has a car which just spontaneously unlocks whenever the key approaches. Which is ridiculous since often I'm just walking to the mailbox or out to a different car and have zero desire to unlock that particular car. It just assumes, without understanding what I'm actually doing. Which is the fundamental UX problem with all these misfeatures.

MattRix 3y ago

I feel like all of these are minor annoyances compared to the more serious safety issues they are trying to prevent. I feel like you are underestimating how stupid the average user is… and especially how stupid the most stupid users are.

lallysingh 3y ago
It's not mainly dumb users, it's users when they're tired, distracted, or ill. Everyone gets like that and some safeguards make sense.
multimoon 3y ago
We have a drivers exam in one form or another in nearly every country that is intended to certify and evaluate your ability to pilot a vehicle. While it doesn’t always, it should include all facets of driving and the car shouldn’t need to hold your hand. I strongly believe that this hand holding cars are required to do now just lowers the average skill of new drivers. A great example of this is an alarming amount of new drivers are absolutely incapable of backing a vehicle up unguided on mirrors alone, they rely solely on the backup camera and it was never a skill they had to learn.
- MattRix 3y ago
  Not sure if part of your argument is that we shouldn’t have safety features like a backup camera because they lead to worse drivers… because that is absurd. At the end of the day, you are never going to be able to do tests or training to the level where it invalidates the need for good UX and safety features. Even for tasks with extensive training like air pilots, there is still a tremendous amount of effort put towards safety and usability. Human beings are fallible.
- acdha 3y ago
  The United States has 43k fatalities caused by drivers every year, and millions of people suffer life-altering injuries and billions in property damages. There are only two ways we’re going to improve that: letting fewer people drive or making cars harder to use unsafely. Since there’s intense political opposition to building bike/transit infrastructure, removing driving privileges or even ticketing unsafe drivers, we’re going to keep seeing attempts to solve the problem with technical measures.

ceejayoz 3y ago

freedomben 3y ago
2023 Toyota Sienna
- ceejayoz 3y ago
  https://www.justanswer.com/toyota/mb45v-own-23-toyota-corolla-lower.html https://www.justanswer.com/toyota/mb45v-own-23-toyota-coroll... > Start by sitting in the driver's seat and closing the door. Buckle your seat belt. Turn the ignition to the "On" position without starting the engine. Within a few seconds of turning the ignition on, unbuckle and then re-buckle your seat belt three times, making sure each action is completed quickly. After the third buckle action, keep the seat belt buckled and wait for approximately 20 seconds. You should hear a confirmation sound or see a visual indication that the seat belt warning chime volume can now be adjusted. Use the volume control buttons on the steering wheel or the audio system controls to adjust the volume. Please note that the specific buttons or menu options for adjusting the volume may vary depending on your Corolla's trim level and audio system. Worth a shot? Sounds like it’s adjustable (presuming Corolla and Sienna share some software) and yours is set a bit high.
  - mavhc 3y ago
    Is there a complete list of cheat codes for your car?
    - ceejayoz 3y ago
      I'm sure the service manuals they provide to mechanics cover these. Details vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but they're quite common. https://lifehacker.com/hack-your-ride-cheat-codes-and-workarounds-for-your-ca-5893227 https://lifehacker.com/hack-your-ride-cheat-codes-and-workar...

trilbyglens 3y ago

This reenforces my instinct to buy the dumbest thing on the market.

FirmwareBurner 3y ago
Lada Niva
- poisonborz 3y ago
  If you can buy one from 30 years ago kept in a collection. With current ones you have some parts that are still built like a tank, but other parts just fall apart. You can't buy dumb AND quality cars outside of the maker/restoration scene.
- rasputnik6502 3y ago
  [dead]
- genocidicbunny 3y ago
  From what I recall reading recently, the most recent models are cheap Chinese-made cars with the bare minimum of attention and QC put into them. Like, frame welded with spot welds that can be pulled apart by hand kind of issues.
  - FireBeyond 3y ago
    Let's not just throw that in the box of "cheap Chinese". Tesla has shipped cars with windshields not attached to the vehicle in any way, has shipped cars with missing brake pads, etc.
    - genocidicbunny 3y ago
      I'm not. This is not the 'cheap Chinese' box. This is the 'absolute worst possible quality car that stays together long enough to ship to Russia and get sold before it falls apart after the first rough ride' box. Tesla's QC issues make them look like bespoke works of art compared to what I saw of some of the newest Ladas. It's one thing when you're missing parts or badly glued windshields. It's a whole other thing when the welds holding the frame of your car together have the structural integrity of butter on Venus.

dangus 3y ago

> My car has sensors to detect when a passenger isn't wearing a seat belt and to blast an ear-hurting alarm directly at the driver. It's so loud that it's actually a safety issue in itself because it's hard to focus on driving when there is a blaring alarm in your face. You aren’t supposed to be driving until all occupants in your vehicle have buckled their seatbelts. That’s why the alarm is loud and annoying, because obviously you can’t be trusted to follow basic motor vehicle laws. You’re not supposed to be focused on driving before everyone is buckled in.

MarkusWandel 3y ago
My car's gone the opposite way. When trying to find it in the parking lot, with the old one, you just pushed "lock" on the keyfob twice and listened for the horn honk. The new one makes a nice, elegant but not very loud "beep" sound. Useless for this purpose. They also got the seat belt warning right. At startup it displays a map of the seats, green if occupied and buckled, red if not, grey if unoccupied. Good for checking that the kids did up their seat belts in the back, without being annoying. I'm guessing it does have a nag chime, but the kids have behaved so far... I do have to say, the only complaint about the gimcrackery in mine (low-ish trim level 2023 Honda Civic) is that the menu UI is a bit clunky. But nothing gets in your way once adjusted properly and the automations (e.g. you can't manually time the windshield washer squirt any more - it squirts at the optimum angle of the wipers) work pretty well.
- badpun 3y ago
  > My car's gone the opposite way. When trying to find it in the parking lot, with the old one, you just pushed "lock" on the keyfob twice and listened for the horn honk. The new one makes a nice, elegant but not very loud "beep" sound. Useless for this purpose. Good for everyone around though, because you're not polluting the soundscape with a completely unncessary honk. Where I live, honking within cities is allowed only in emergency or dangerous situations. Not that anyone follows that law though.
  - MarkusWandel 3y ago

meibo 3y ago

> For example, if I put my backpack on the passenger seat Not trying to say that you're wrong, but an unsecured, heavy backpack is a real safety risk in even minor accidents. From the impact pattern, it's like having a pet or a baby in the front seat and not securing it.

freedomben 3y ago
Hmm, that's a fair point. Will need to think on that one for a bit.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

donatj 3y ago

My wife’s Scion lets out the worlds most painful screech if you try to lock the doors with one of them open. My Mazda will just… lock the doors. I don’t even understand what the Scion is trying to accomplish. It’s just trying to mock you I guess.

ceejayoz 3y ago
Surely that's obvious? The clear intent of locking the doors is to keep people out of your car. It's trying to warn you before you walk away from a car you think you've successfully secured but have not.

_ea1k 3y ago

> Then of course there is the complete disabling of the in-car navigation controls while moving, so my passenger can't configure the map while I'm driving Tesla allows this and a lot of other things. TBH, I'm shocked that NHTSA hasn't made them stop, given how quickly they've intervened when passengers were allowed to play solitaire on the screen in drive. :) I understand the reasoning, but it is all a bit weird given that people have a phone that they can use instead. And unfortunately, they do resort to the phone pretty regularly.

FireBeyond 3y ago

> is that the system is made to be ultra cautious and thus has a lot of false positives. For example, if I put my backpack on the passenger seat Given that FMVSS 208 mandates passenger occupation detection at 35lbs for seat belts, and 65lbs for airbags, I'm not sure what you're expecting from the system. How is it meant to differentiate between a 35lb backpack and a 35lb child?