26 replies to this topic

[Shooter63]

Coming from me you might think this is a bit wierd, but I think I could be right. As we all know the quality of people's driving has been going down hill for years, you have to play " guess where cars are going" because D##kheads seem to think indicating is below them. It seems that new cars fitted with lane assist will only move out of lane if indicating. I first noticed it when following a brand spanky new 24 plate car to the revival last week, we were on one of those roads with multiple road works every mile or so with temporary traffic lights. Every time the car in front had to cross the white line on the filter lane they indicated and the same when coming back onto our side of the road, people also seem to be indicating when they overtake rather than just pulling out.
Am I right or wrong? Or have I just become lucky in the last few weeks?


Shooter

[Quinlan minor]

You were probably following someone who actually knows how to drive.

Incredibly unlikely, I know, but it would explain your observations.

[nicklouse]

It is not all it is cracked up to be. 
 

during testing it has tried putting me off the road and other things.

[stuart bowes]

I thought it was just a system that beeped or vibrated your seat if you wandered slightly towards the lines?

But there might be more advanced more restrictive systems on the market

To be honest though not letting you suddenly swerve without the indicators on sounds daft. When you're doing 70 and something happens that makes you slam on the brakes, but that's not enough and you think about evasive movement, are you going to also think Oo I best indicate.. by which time BAM

Assuming you've done the usual checking of mirrors as you always do constantly anyway then an 'elk test' shouldn't be restricted electronically is all I'm saying

Edited by stuart bowes, 15 September 2024 - 05:35 PM.

[Bobbins]

Try crossing the white line to avoid a pothole ….

[PoolGuy]

All the hire cars that I've had in Italy in the last couple of years have been fitted with it, indicating after overtaking on the autostrade isn't a thing, but I've never had any complaints from the lane assist. It's simple to tun it off though if it worries you.

[mab01uk]

Britain's second best-selling EV has a 'potentially dangerous' issue, warns Which?
On three occasions MG 4's lane keeping system steered car into danger.
"Product testing group Which? says it identified the problem with the UK's second best-selling EV, the MG 4, during controlled and repeated tests that it carries out on over 100 different cars each year.
It found that the £27,000 EV's lane-assist system - which is designed to keep the car in its lane to stop drivers veering over the white lines - pulled the vehicle onto the wrong side of the road, which potentially puts motorists at risk of driving head-on into oncoming traffic.
Last year, 21,715 were registered in Britain. Only the Tesla Model Y was bought in greater numbers in the EV marketplace.
'On one occasion where the tester drove on a narrow country road and had to pass another car travelling in the opposite direction, the MG4's lane-keep assistance system steered away from the nearside edge of the road and towards the centre – and the other vehicle,' Which? said.
The tester was forced to manually intervene to prevent the MG4 veering too close to the car travelling in the opposite direction, it claimed.
'On another occasion, this time on a wider road with a clearly defined centre line, the lane-keep assistance technology twice decided that the car had left its intended lane and pulled it onto the wrong side of the road.
'Using a sufficient amount of force, our tester had to manually steer the car back,' Which? says.
A software solution to resolve the issue is very near to completion and the MG dealer network will perform the work at no cost to the customer...
https://www.thisismo...arns-Which.html

 

Reading the reader comments below the above linked article, many other makes and models of car with 'Lane Assist' technology seem to have similar problems...I think I will keep my 2006 E90 BMW thankfully without any modern software driven driver aids for as long as possible!

 

[PoolGuy]

“The tester was forced to manually intervene to prevent the MG4 veering too close to the car travelling in the opposite direction,” 

 

Imagine having to drive your own vehicle, that could catch on…

[coopertaz]

on my 16 plate ford it would try to keep you in lane if not indicating but you not with such force that you could not overcome it in an emergency.

[Designer]

Try crossing the white line to avoid a pothole ….

Recently got a 24reg Focus like you said swerved to the right to avoid a large partially hidden pothole. Next thing I knew I was heading for a ditch on the lefthand side. Hit the breaks to stop going in it, no traffic in either direction thank goodness.

Has been permanently turned off with black duck tape over the switch so it cannot be turned back on.

 

Paddy

[Ethel]

Shouldn't the force of the driver input be a better  indication of intent & urgency than whether they indicated?

 

How about giving indicators a delay, to encourage drivers to think ahead & observe before manoeuvring?

[Designer]

The other so called drivers aid that gets my goat is what's called something like "advanced collision warning", this cannot be turned off.

Going along a widish road with cars parked on the left, car coming in the opposite direction has right of way as not quite enough room for both cars to pass. Approaching car slows as it sees there is a long gap in the parked cars for me to turn into so we can pass. My hand up in thanks, then all hell lets loose as the collision warning sounds and rectangular amber sign flash briefly on the dash and I am still 50 yards away from the next parked car and already started to turn back out into the middle of the road to pass it. All the warning has achieved is made me look all round the car in a slight panic wandering what the hell is going on as I know that in no way am I going to hit the parked car as I am already maneuvering to avoid it.

All I can see that this sort of gimmick will do is encourage the new drivers on the roads today feel that they can drive along looking at the scenery or have a face to face conversation with their passengers in the front or back totally relying on the car to warn them if anything untoward is about to happen.

 

Paddy (disgruntled)

[Shooter63]

I,d forgotten all about the collision warning thing, my last Golf had that fitted and I didn't realise until it nearly caused an accident. I will freely admit that I drive fast ( except in built up areas) I was coming up to a traffic light junction where if you want to go left you are on a filter slip, so keep your foot down time, the sodding car picked up the traffic light and slammed the anchors on, I nearly cra#ped myself. After that I found if in the same situation where I thought the stupid car/ecu would think a traffic light/tree might cause an accident a quick dab on the brakes knocked the system out.
These days I drive a M series car, the first thing I did was book it into a mapping place and get them to turn off all the sh#te, at least I feel like I'm half in charge when driving.

Shooter

[Designer]

Hi Shooter,

 

The problem with that is if you have everything turned of by remapping if you have an accident even a non fault one the Insurance company could turn round and say you policy is invalid. That could open you up possibly to prosecution for having no insurance. I am sure you would need to inform them as this could be considered a modification.

If there is a switch turn a drivers assist off then they cannot argue the toss as the manufacturers have given you the option to make that decision. They have insured your car knowing that that option is there.

 

Paddy

[PoolGuy]

It’s like any modification, you just inform the insurance company, it’s then up to them to decide if they want to provide cover. I saw an interesting article recently about the amount of data that Police forces recover from vehicles in the event of an accident, it’s mind boggling (maybe for a separate thread if Mab hasn’t covered it already).