Ford's "rider" in the driver's seat

[TboneMan]

So I caught a Ford commercial last night for one of their vehicles (I was yelling at the TV too loudly to hear the model name).



The thing has "radar" to automatically reduce you cruise control speed if you approach another vehicle to quickly. Automatic parallel parking. Automatic this, automatic that.



SINCE WHEN DID THE DRIVER BECOME JUST ANOTHER PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE!!!!



Give me a break. People are "point and shooters" enough now without adding more tech (which can fail) to make the drive even less aware of his/her surroundings.



Ok off the soap box. I feel better now.

 

[rscurtis]

Of all the useless electronic gadgets burdening new vehicles today, adaptive cruise control is one item I'd love to have. You can keep the stability control, automatic parking, DVD players, power doors and tailgates, 12 air bags, 14 speakers, etc.

 

[JLEONARD]

 People are "point and shooters" enough now without adding more tech

What do you mean by that?

 

[TboneMan]

 People are "point and shooters" enough now without adding more tech

What do you mean by that?

They put the vehicle in "D", point the nose of said vehicle down the road and depress the gas petal and have little regard for their surroundings. Examples: People who don't give people on pedestrians and/or bicycles a little extra room, the cell phone wacko's, make-up applicators, the reading the book while driving on the long interstate types. People who pass you a quarter mile before the off-ramp they want just to cut you off to take the off-ramp.



Generally, people who have forgotten that driving is a task that needs some degree of focus, skill and knowledge (basic physics is the most important, Newton's laws of motion). I guess I just had good instructors (parents and driver's ed teacher) when I start driving.

 

[JLEONARD]

OK Thanks.

I call them something else and it starts with A. :-laf

 

[TboneMan]

OK Thanks.

I call them something else and it starts with A. :-laf

I reserve that phrase for the idiot who blows through a red light 3-5 seconds after my side turns green. Of the ones that totally forget the right-of-way rules. Go from the on ramp across three lanes to the fast lane in one motion, just to get slowed down by the traffic already in that lane. Oh the list goes on... . :-laf

 

[CumminsBu]

Don't worry in the next 5 years cars and suv will drive themselves. I sure it will be like a person taxi or bus with a private jet like feel. Think of what traffic will be like then.

 

[Dieselnut59]

Of all the useless electronic gadgets burdening new vehicles today, adaptive cruise control is one item I'd love to have. You can keep the stability control, automatic parking, DVD players, power doors and tailgates, 12 air bags, 14 speakers, etc.

I wish they would actually give us a CHOICE on those things! We should be allowed to order a vehicle, sign a waiver saying we do not want the extra "safety" features and get the damn thing the way we WANT it!

 

[Dieselnut59]

I reserve that phrase for the idiot who blows through a red light 3-5 seconds after my side turns green. Of the ones that totally forget the right-of-way rules. Go from the on ramp across three lanes to the fast lane in one motion, just to get slowed down by the traffic already in that lane. Oh the list goes on... . :-laf

And the ones who go up an ACCELERATION (merge) ramp onto an interstate or expressway and are doing 35 mph at the end of the ramp, then are unable to MERGE with the 70 mph traffic, so they HIT THE BRAKES!!!! #@$%!#@$%!#@$%!

 

[Pawpaw]

They put the vehicle in "D", point the nose of said vehicle down the road and depress the gas petal and have little regard for their surroundings. Examples: People who don't give people on pedestrians and/or bicycles a little extra room, the cell phone wacko's, make-up applicators, the reading the book while driving on the long interstate types. People who pass you a quarter mile before the off-ramp they want just to cut you off to take the off-ramp.

Generally, people who have forgotten that driving is a task that needs some degree of focus, skill and knowledge (basic physics is the most important, Newton's laws of motion). I guess I just had good instructors (parents and driver's ed teacher) when I start driving.

You just described 90% of the "truck drivers" I see on the road these days. Yes, people do it in vehicles of every size & shape, but I often wonder what happened to the professional truck driver.

 

[EricBu12]

Our new International Day Cab in FedEx has "Smart cruise". . it reduces speed when you get within 3 seconds of the vehicle ahead... also has a warning "collision Alert"... . It is over-ridable by pressing the throttle.

Also it has lane control warning when you cross the side lines. . even just a little, a loud warning goes off in the speaker by your head. . Annoying big time... . On the internationals, I am able to unplug that thing. big distraction on the warning tone.