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Serious question... What does this actually free you from? Is the occasional adjustment to keep in your lane that much? It's not like cruise control where after

Serious question... What does this actually free you from? Is the occasional adjustment to keep in your lane that much? It's not like cruise control where after holding my foot in the same position for hours my ankle is damn near locked up, and the occasional adjustment helps keep focus. I just can't figure out what lane centering is supposed to free me up to do instead.

_ea1k 3y ago
I've used pro pilot on a Nissan on the highway, mostly because the steering felt too light otherwise. In general, that analogy applies, though. Just like cruise control allows you to effortless maintain a speed, autosteer makes lane centering effortless. It is basically like power steering that reduces steering effort to exactly zero. The benefit is greater than I thought it'd be, tbh.
slau 3y ago
I just drove 2000km in the last couple days. I have a car with level 2 driver assistance (ADAS). This includes lane assist. I keep my hands on the steering wheel virtually at all times. I say virtually because I might let go for 2-3 seconds to untwist a bottle cap if everyone else in the car is asleep, not any different than the “knee steering” I did before. However, the car follows the curvature of the road without a problem. The main benefit of ADAS, to me, is greatly reduced driver exhaustion. Yes, I am paying attention and actively driving the car, however I can focus on the important things. The ACC ensures I don’t need to worry about fines for speeding due to a heavy foot. It also ensures that I’m “far enough” from the car in front to keep me (and them) safe. Lane assist means I can spend 20% more focus on understanding what shenanigans are going on 5 cars ahead instead of worrying about drifting in another lane. Do I rely on it continuously? Nope. Do I trust it completely? It’s bad enough that I can’t. However, after driving 2000km, I’m still fresh enough to engage in a conversation in a foreign language with the in-laws, whereas in my prime, 15 years ago, the same trip would’ve put me to bed instantly. It reduces the cognitive load of driving. It doesn’t make driving easier, however it reduces the mental burden of being a defensive driver. It’s not unlike ABS. Could I achieve a lower stopping distance by carefully surfing the grip/skid brake pressure? With practice, on a track, absolutely. Do I get greater peace of mind knowing that at any time a computer is checking 500x per second whether my tyres are losing grip, regardless of my state of mind, whether I’m paying attention, am distracted, the road conditions, or which pair of shoes I’m wearing? Undoubtedly.

_ea1k 3y ago

I've used pro pilot on a Nissan on the highway, mostly because the steering felt too light otherwise. In general, that analogy applies, though. Just like cruise control allows you to effortless maintain a speed, autosteer makes lane centering effortless. It is basically like power steering that reduces steering effort to exactly zero. The benefit is greater than I thought it'd be, tbh.

slau 3y ago

I just drove 2000km in the last couple days. I have a car with level 2 driver assistance (ADAS). This includes lane assist. I keep my hands on the steering wheel virtually at all times. I say virtually because I might let go for 2-3 seconds to untwist a bottle cap if everyone else in the car is asleep, not any different than the “knee steering” I did before. However, the car follows the curvature of the road without a problem. The main benefit of ADAS, to me, is greatly reduced driver exhaustion. Yes, I am paying attention and actively driving the car, however I can focus on the important things. The ACC ensures I don’t need to worry about fines for speeding due to a heavy foot. It also ensures that I’m “far enough” from the car in front to keep me (and them) safe. Lane assist means I can spend 20% more focus on understanding what shenanigans are going on 5 cars ahead instead of worrying about drifting in another lane. Do I rely on it continuously? Nope. Do I trust it completely? It’s bad enough that I can’t. However, after driving 2000km, I’m still fresh enough to engage in a conversation in a foreign language with the in-laws, whereas in my prime, 15 years ago, the same trip would’ve put me to bed instantly. It reduces the cognitive load of driving. It doesn’t make driving easier, however it reduces the mental burden of being a defensive driver. It’s not unlike ABS. Could I achieve a lower stopping distance by carefully surfing the grip/skid brake pressure? With practice, on a track, absolutely. Do I get greater peace of mind knowing that at any time a computer is checking 500x per second whether my tyres are losing grip, regardless of my state of mind, whether I’m paying attention, am distracted, the road conditions, or which pair of shoes I’m wearing? Undoubtedly.