2011 Ford Trailer Towing

[Road Dog]

I think that you guys that believe you can outdrive a computer need to go have a stopping contest. One of you should have ABS the other without. Do 10 stops from speed and then decide if you would like to have a computer help you or not. I'm not say thing I believe we don't need to teach people (like ourselves) how to drive. What I am saying is that computers can react way faster and more precise that your right leg. Safety is Safety. My children will thank you.

I think you have a lot of trust in computers. First, there's different kinds of ABS. Some (the best & most expensive) can modulate brake pressure at each wheel. They're hard to beat. Others, like my '98 RAM single circuit rear wheel ABS pops the brake pressure for ALL the wheels at once. It's worse than nothing.

Second, the ABS is designed for pavement so if you're stopping on other surfaces -- gravel, snow, ice -- you might not like what it's trying to do. A few [expensive] systems figure out the driving surface and adjust accordingly.

There are several studies now that look accidents rates with regard to safety systems (air bags, ABS, traction control, ... ). As you add safety systems drivers feel more confident, drive faster and take more risks. The overall accident rate stays the same or increases slightly (with fewer fatalities). ABS is a good example -- drivers follow closer believing the vehicle can stop faster.

Don't have your kids thanking us yet.

 

[Grizzly]

I think that you guys that believe you can outdrive a computer need to go have a stopping contest. One of you should have ABS the other without. Do 10 stops from speed and then decide if you would like to have a computer help you or not. I'm not say thing I believe we don't need to teach people (like ourselves) how to drive. What I am saying is that computers can react way faster and more precise that your right leg. Safety is Safety. My children will thank you.

In my early days with the Corps of Engineers, now retired, one of my first assignments was to calculate Slope Stability Analysis for a large earthen dam. Each solution, which were graphical and hand calculated, took from half a day to a whole day each to complete. After months of doing these analysis you developed a keen sense to find the most critical arc solution. Later on a program was written to perform these solutions in a matter of minutes. This was absolutely great, but in time I started noticing that new Intern Civil Engineers had no clue how to derive at a hand calculated solution because the computer would do it all. The speed of the computer saved a lot of man hours and provided good solutions, however the computer is still only a machine. Sometimes there were extenuating circumstances that the computed didn't take into account.



The computer is only as good as the programmer.



george

 

[AClayton]

very good analogy!!



Alan