revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Ford launches hands-free driving on UK motorways

Ford drivers will legally be able to take their hands off the wheel after its BlueCruise technology has been approved in the UK.

Ministers have approved the "hands-off, eyes-on" technology for use on certain motorways.

It can control steering, acceleration and braking but a camera will monitor a driver's eyes so they stay alert.

The technology will only be available for 2023 models of its electric Mustang Mach-E SUV at first.

It can also keep a safe distance from other cars and even bring them to a complete stop in traffic jams, although the technology is only offered on a subscription basis.

Oh, and well done the BBC for showing a car clearly not on a motorway.

According to what I heard this morning, if the "driver" fails to keep their eyes on the road then the vehicle comes to a halt. What can possibly go wrong with that?

It's £18/month! (And that's just for the hands off...not the Mustang ).

I can't say I've ever driven along a motorway and though to myself 'I really wish I could put my hands somewhere else'.

No, not even there.

I have been driving along a motorway when someone has come to an unexpected stop. When it is really busy it is just a PITA, when the motorway is running free it often leads to a bum clenching moment. Even with ordinary cars a lot of drivers take their eyes off the road, and a stationary vehicle is a big surprise.

I drove a Hyundai in NZ with 'lane keep' technology, and hands off it did - sort of - stay in lane (there aren't many stretches of multilane road in NZ) but sometimes 'pinballed' between the pair of markings. Not entirely convincing. Oh, and if hands were off the wheel for more than a couple of seconds, the car squawked at me.

Must be three years ago now, I passed a Merc in the middle lane of the M40, driver sitting back in a reclined seat, hands behind his head at around 60 mph.

The Spin Doctor wrote: Mon Apr 17, 2023 9:53 am Must be three years ago now, I passed a Merc in the middle lane of the M40, driver sitting back in a reclined seat, hands behind his head at around 60 mph.

R4 programme yesterday
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001l200
With a drive in the new Ford.

Journo looked at the in-car display screen (don't know how long for), the car nagged at him until he looked ahead again.

NB this is not me saying "it's safe" or trying to defend/justify etc.

Horse wrote: Mon Apr 17, 2023 10:26 am R4 programme yesterday
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001l200
With a drive in the new Ford.

Journo looked at the in-car display screen (don't know how long for), the car nagged at him until he looked ahead again.

NB this is not me saying "it's safe" or trying to defend/justify etc.

'LOOKED but FAILED TO SEE' - just because our eyes are pointed the right way and open doesn't mean there's any consciousness of the surroundings. We can be staring out the window of a train and never see what's passing outside.

If we're not driving, we're unlikely to be focused.

The journo also commented that the system reacted to a car changing lane before he'd seen it.

The Spin Doctor wrote: Mon Apr 17, 2023 3:37 pm

Horse wrote: Mon Apr 17, 2023 10:26 am R4 programme yesterday
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001l200
With a drive in the new Ford.

Journo looked at the in-car display screen (don't know how long for), the car nagged at him until he looked ahead again.

NB this is not me saying "it's safe" or trying to defend/justify etc.

'LOOKED but FAILED TO SEE' - just because our eyes are pointed the right way and open doesn't mean there's any consciousness of the surroundings. We can be staring out the window of a train and never see what's passing outside.

If we're not driving, we're unlikely to be focused.

Humans are good at actively doing stuff, they are less good at monitoring others doing stuff.

IMHO, a car has to be self driving or not. I feel that halfway houses with this are not a good thing.

I realise that’s a big technological leap, but from a human physiological standpoint being neigh one thing not another is a recipe for a rise in fatalities.

wheelnut wrote: Mon Apr 17, 2023 4:55 pm Humans are good at actively doing stuff, they are less good at monitoring others doing stuff.

IMHO, a car has to be self driving or not. I feel that halfway houses with this are not a good thing.

I realise that’s a big technological leap, but from a human physiological standpoint being neigh one thing not another is a recipe for a rise in fatalities.

That's my thinking too.

Self-parking

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/huge-tes ... 29776.html

How bad is Tesla Autopilot’s safety problem? According to thousands of complaints allegedly from Tesla customers in the U.S. and around the world, pretty bad.

A huge data dump based on a whistleblower's leak of internal Tesla documents shows that problems with Tesla's automated driving technology may be far more common than media reports and regulators have let on, according to the German newspaper Handelsblatt, which published an article about it Thursday.

The reportedly leaked files add to the troubling anecdotes that have appeared in the media and on social media over the years about Tesla’s Autopilot and the experimental technology it has branded as Full Self-Driving. They spotlight Tesla’s attempts to keep safety complaints secret and what appears to be a strategy to limit customer communications that might end up in lawsuits.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk did not respond to a request from The Times for comment.

Here are four of the biggest takeaways from the article about the leak.

1. The files include thousands of complaints and descriptions of crashes allegedly from customers.
In an article titled “ 'My autopilot almost killed me,' ” Handelsblatt said it received 100 gigabytes of data and 23,000 files including 3,000 entries about customers' safety concerns and descriptions of more than 1,000 crashes. The complaints cover Teslas manufactured from 2015 to March 2022, the article said. The files contain more than 2,400 complaints about sudden acceleration and more than 1,500 complaints about braking problems, including unintentional emergency braking and so-called “phantom stops,” when the car suddenly brakes for no apparent reason, according to the article.

... etc ...

Yet again, another motor manufacturer tells lies about how good/safe their cars are.

Last time it was emissions, that might kill someone slowly, this time it is self driving that can do the job quickly.

Looking very likely that Tesla are now being overtaken (IYSWIM) in the self-driving technology by mainstream manufacturers.

The Spin Doctor wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 11:42 pm Looking very likely that Tesla are now being overtaken (IYSWIM) in the self-driving technology by mainstream manufacturers.

It was always going to happen, I’ve never driven one, but I’ve been in a few and, hype aside, they don’t seem particularly well made as cars. Emperor’s new clothes.

I still think we’ll be talking about (fully) self driving cars in 20 years. I’m not sure I can see them working on current road infrastructure while mixing with human drivers.

The UK has relatively orderly roads and drivers, but it’s also a world market. I think if an autonomous car attempted to drive down the Main Street in Marmaris (for example) it would just pull over and start sobbing.

wheelnut wrote: Tue Jul 04, 2023 7:58 am

The Spin Doctor wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 11:42 pm Tesla

they don’t seem particularly well made as cars.

Horse wrote: Thu Apr 27, 2023 8:15 pm According to a recent study by iSeeCars, Tesla is the most recalled car brand. In fact, the publication says the Model 3, Model Y, Model S, and Model X secure four out of the top five spots for most recalled models. Porsche also has four of the most recalled models. Brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota show up the least on the list of recalls.

iSeeCars consulted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) list of recalls from 2014 to 2023 to put together its list.

Humans are good at actively doing stuff, they are less good at monitoring others doing stuff.

I'm sure I read somewhere that actively doing something else (eg knitting) whilst carrying out a monitoring task, improves the quality of the monitoring task

Dickyboy wrote: Tue Jul 04, 2023 1:53 pm

Humans are good at actively doing stuff, they are less good at monitoring others doing stuff.

I'm sure I read somewhere that actively doing something else (eg knitting) whilst carrying out a monitoring task, improves the quality of the monitoring task

"Knitting improves your driving - FACT"

I can just see that headline in the car press.

Has anyone asked if we want self driving cars.