I'm looking to discuss the advent of newer vehicle safety features, namely:
Lane Keep Assist
Auto Emergency Braking
Blind Spot Sensors
Driver Fatigue Sensor
Blind Spot Sensor
Do these features provably make a difference to driver and pedestrian safety? Have there been any studies done that show such?
not true - AEB
You’re missing the point. Autonomous emergency braking helps the situations you mentioned
For many of the cases out there, yes.
All the tech that you listed are to assist inattentive drivers which is the primary and predominant cause of collisions.
It won't stop someone driving beyond their ability, it won't stop someone making poor decisions and it certainly won't stop a poorly maintained vehicle being on the road.
I don't know of any studies proving or disproving, but wouldn't it be pretty evident that they would increase safety? I'm not saying I will drive any different with these features activated. But eg. a child suddenly runs after a ball into a street, wouldn't the auto emergency braking increase the chances of not hitting anyone?
I know for a fact in my personal use case, the Blind spot sensor has been useful. When I indicate, I look in the wing mirrors as well checking my blind spot. The indicator on the wing mirror serves as an additional reminder. I certainly found it advantageous to have.
Yes, and no. Yes because safety systems, no because it makes drivers complacent thinking that the car can just pick up the slack.
This. The art of driving is ever diminishing. Drivers are too reliant on safety systems rather than skill.
Mildly pedantic point: I'd argue using the term 'ability' than 'skill'. Skill implies some deliberate learning rather than something you do just to get your shopping done.
Point is, good majority of drivers probably don't care how well they drive beyond their capability to get from A to B. All these systems benefit this class of people the most. And as the rest of the us, we can be thankful that these systems are becoming more common.
It's in the name? How wouldn't they be helpful? The names are arguably more self-descriptive in it's 'how it helps' than 'Anti-lock brakes'.
All these are aids. I'm not going to say I'm a perfect driver. But I'd like to say I'm above average (doesn't say much) but accidents are exactly that. Can happen to anyone. You might look away for a moment. Distracted by kids or passengers.
Lane keep and blind spot trigger the most for me. I never rely on these so they're more like a second pair of eyes that keeps me honest. Just in case they trigger and I didn't know I was drifting or I missed a approaching vehicle.
If you need to be reminded that you're drifting out of your lane, you're not an above average driver. You are very well within the average.
The safety features attract lower insurance premiums so somebody thinks so.
All of which are offset by the take up of taller, heavier, wider SUVs.
At least this technology makes it harder to reverse over a kid in stupid SUVs - and they generally stopped putting the wheels on the back windows now too
If you need Lane Keep Assist
Auto Emergency Braking
Blind Spot Sensors
You don't know how to drive..
If you need a starter motor, you don't know how to drive. 😎
Yeah, imagine all the exercise you can get from cranking your engine over.
Have fun cranking a V12 engine…
You’re infallible
I read what you wrote.
The real innovation is improvements to materials and computer aided design. Instead of using the same steel everywhere, the steel around the cabin will be designed to crack in a crash, keeping the cabin shape, while the steels at the front and rear will deform to adsorb more energy. Some brands are more advanced, with Mazda and Hyundai very vocal about their advances, using over 14 different grades of steel to have different crash properties.
I personally have been saved from two crashes by AEB (unfamiliar SUV's with late, hard breakers infront).
I reckon replacing the unsafe cars on the road would be more beneficial, such as limits on the vehicles age and ANCAP rating (e.g must be under 10 years and 5 star rated). And also yearly compulsory roadworthy checks such as in Germany. Of course it's not financially an option for some, but when you consider that only 20% of vehicles on our roads are built before 2000, yet make up 1/3 of fatalities its a no-brainer.
I reckon banning unsafe drivers would be extremely beneficial. Especially those need to do the learners knowledge test in a language other than English.
100%
Sadly no amount of modern safety technology will save idiots from their own stupidity
I drive an older car with none of these features and I prefer it that way. We were in the market for a new car and I test drove quite a few. I found all these new tech rather distracting instead….
Throw Adaptive Cruise-Control in there, especially down to 0 km/h like in the new Corolla. If every single car on the motorway had this feature auto-enabled I believe accidents would drop significantly.
Or we should just push for full self driving ASAP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHzzSao6ypE
Yes. However most on this forum would prefer a 10 year old Toyota Camry as they can't afford anything better. They are one-eyed going after 'value' and prefer not to 'value' their life/safety features or any of the other benefits that come with better, newer cars and brands.
There are so many idiots on the road that would probably even crash a self driving car.
I hate most are the tailgaters, especially cheap tradie trucks 1 feet behind my bumper. Need any type of electronics to deter them.
Yes, there have been a number of studies carried out that show the advantages of "Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems ".
Here's a Forbes article that references a few of them -
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/car-insurance/vehicle-safety-…
A couple of quotes from the article -
"ADAS functionalities can change the driving experience. According to research by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, ADAS vehicles showed a 27% reduction in bodily injury claim frequency and a 19% reduction in property damage frequency."
"the crash involvement rate for vehicles with blind-spot monitoring was 14% lower than the same models without the equipment, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety."
It does say the systems are not perfect but there is a measurable benefit.
What do you think? But then this is what it is all about…. those who don't think.
They need "prodding" …. why can't people drive these days
I’m all for the newer, safer cars - both engineering and active safety systems. I am an experienced, careful driver, but human, so I occasionally miss cues or stuff up. I am all for Systems that help.
Remember that a some of the current safety engineering is aimed at protecting others in urban and inner city.
I never doubt the ability of gifted folk to kill/ injure themselves or others by doing dumb things, and will be interested in seeing how they continue to manage this…. 🤔
Absolutely.
Yep, autopilot on Tesla. They regularly release data to demonstrate that less accidents occur while on autopilot
Autopilot is a cut above every other manufacture, as demonstrated in independent tests
Any and all safety features help, but…and a big but…it is still always up to the road user. The road rules if followed 100% by all drivers and passengers, 100% of the time would reduce collisions…but that still leaves the many idiots that refuse to follow road rules or common sense.
Vehicle failures (humans at fault), animals(mostly humans at fault), environmental(occasionally humans at fault) and the few inexplicable occurrences can never be removed by gadgets.
Very few collisions are actually accidents, as the human condition involved is the cause so often. It is not an accident if a driver was speeding or drunk, but that is what they call them…accidents.
These gadgets help keep a driver aware of issues around their vehicle, and deter scenarios that could result in loss of control and a potential collision. It is still and always will be up to the driver/s passengers/pedestrians to avoid anything and all reasons possibly resulting in a loss of control resulting in a collision.
Think of indicators….when was the last time you used them or saw another driver using them to the letter of the law, correctly for distance and number of required flashes before making any move toward your intended change of current travel?
or how many idiots are still driving into water over the road putting themselves, their passengers and their rescuers in danger? Safety gadgets perhaps short of water depth gauges killing the engine will ever stop these fools.
But, as education and good morals are not 100% effective, anything that helps or reduces loss of life or injury is a good thing me thinks.
After 2 near misses recently on the freeway, one by me, other by another driver, blind spot monitoring his probably worth having.
But on the other hand, reverse beepers can be annoying and I’ve had one instance of hitting a shopping trolley when i was reversing, the beepers were going nuts and I thought it was because of a tree next to the spot and I couldn’t see the trolley in the mirrors.
Sure these systems help, but there is no alternative to a properly aware driver.
that's why reverse camera is the gold standard now
You still have to look at it. When I hit the shopping trolley I looked in the camera and it looked like I was in prison, I had glanced in it before reversing in and there was ‘nothing’ in the space. To be fair though it was a few years ago the latest cameras are better
ur crappy 480p camera….
Our car wouldn’t let you reverse into that trolley - it applies the brakes automatically
That seems like a good feature, but I’ve heard some can cause issues, like when reversing out a steep driveway. That leads to it getting turned off.
Over 3 years of using it I could count on two hands the number of times it has activated inadvertently - and we have a low car
In a word: NO
ANCAP require this to give a 5 star safety rating
ANCAP require this
OP asked "Do New Safety Features Make Vehicles That Much Safer?"
"Required" and "safer" is different.
Bicycle helmets are required in Australia. Are they safer?
None of these such features will make or help certain people be better drivers, i.e more observant, more aware of there surroundings, driving to the conditions, anticipating others on the road.
I agree all these things make for lazier drivers, self reversing like what is that but I guess 90% of people cannot reverse parallel…
I'm not "OLD" yet I started driving with old cars from the 90s which required actual skill I think my first car even had no power steering…
Sure if you're parents are rich they can afford a new car but I still feel a learner should start driving in a real car without all the assistive technologies because not everyone you know will own a brand new car and then you'll be stuffed if you have to drive an old car that actual needs to be cranked or using a clutch as well…
Simple things like checking your blind spots and indicating before leaving a lane or keeping your eyes on all others on the road not driving with tunnel vision…
All the old cars, that have absolute no safety features at all or any sort of driving assistance, that I wanna get are too expensive….
Looks like you better off with a push bike
My last bike was stolen….and the one before that too got stolen…..and the one before that as well….pretty sure the next bike i get will also be stolen eventually…….car is safest, no one can steal it without towing it away or breaking in and hotwiring it if you can…or steal the key off the owner…but they'd still have to go through hoops if the owner has thief proof measures in place…..
Sorry to say Zac, safety features were in the pipeline and utilized from day one nearly. Simply being up high on a 1898 Fiat gave great visability of the surroundings for an example.
They are improving all the time, in operational and in number. Sometimes for the reason alone that idiots think they own the road.
Fortunately they are on-sold and inbuilt because unfortunately so many idiots still do not follow the letter of the Law and Road Rules 100% there will be the need for Safety Features to do more and more.
This is because most people can not drive…properly. Pushy riders included.
so whats willco88 on about then if all cars have at least some form of safety?
This is very true. I know a large cohort of automatic and manual drivers, there is a constant trend that the automatic drivers are getting more tickets and having more accidents. Driving manual is a much harder feat and requires more engagement. It's objectively much harder to lose focus compared to an auto car that does the gears and most of the acceleration matching for you.
Now take that same concept and apply it to the rest of the car. Safety features significantly reduce driver engagement and focus demand. Not to mention the immense levels of comfort and noise cancellation in cars. They're basically becoming 600kg steel plated luxury beds. They just invite doziness and zombie driving.
Hey Willco88, what are you talking about?
Still does not save idiot drivers or phone fiddlers.