Driver Skill(s) or lack thereof

[old2soon]

Some times I do not hit the mute button quick enough. I see where a lot of these newer cars-17 models in this instance-have lane departure warnings automatic braking and back up assistance for parallel parking or backing a trailer in. I was Taught these Skills at an early age and my professional career was Driving. Not bragging but I could put a 53 foot trailer into places never designed for them. These younger-well not drivers more like steering wheel holders when they ain't texting-I M H O are already lacking driver skills and with the cars making decisions how will they Ever learn Driving Skill? Doe's the vehicle incursion alarm sense motorcycles? Does the vehicle sense too fast for conditions-ice snow fog rain etc? Guess where I'm headin with this if the vehicle is makin the decisions HOW zackly is anyone learning How to react in an emergency situation? Honest Officer I thought the car was gonna stop in time to keep from runnin into you!  I killed that M/C rider? The car killed him! I wuz waitin fer the car to take over!  Now Brothers and Sisters Try to RIDE SAFE.

[3fan4life]

There's nothing inherently wrong with safety features on vehicles.

The do their part to alleviate pain, suffering and death.

The operator of the motorized vehicle is still responsible for whatever happens when they are behind the wheel.


I do know where you are coming from though.

I've been saying for years that safety features on cars are the reason that we have so many bad drivers on the road nowadays.

The problem is that they take Darwin out of the equation.

[Gavin_Sons]

I learned early to back a trailer. Was backing our boat down the boat ramp when i was probably 9 or 10. Then learned how to back a hay wagon. That is a neat trick to know  My new truck does not have all these features like radar or self braking, it does have blindspot notification and a back up camera that i hardly ever use. at least not til the last few inches.

[Gryphon Rider]

I wonder what the trend in collision statistics is.  I know injury and fatality statistics are steadily trending downward, probably as a result of steadily improving occupant protection measures (air bags, crush zones, etc.), but what about collisions per million drivers or per million miles driven?
I wonder if the larger number of examples of poor driving I see is largely due to more drivers being on the road.  I don't pay attention to all the drivers who are using common good sense.

When it comes to backing trailers, I really need to practise.  It doesn't help that I rarely pull a trailer, and that the one I pull is tiny, and that the distance from my car's axle to the hitch is quite short; small deviations quickly send the trailer off course, and small corrections require huge lateral swings of the front end of my car.

[the bull]

I have been teaching driver education in a high school in New York for the past 8 years.  I was also a technology teacher for 31 years until retiring a few years ago.  I am not a believer in technology because it makes people more dependent of it and before long they will not be able to do things without the technology.  I feel that all of this technology in cars is because lawmakers do not want to pass the laws that will make our roads safer again.  They have talked about passing a bill to making it mandatory for cell phone companies to make the phones inoperative when they are in a car if the car is moving.  Many people are opposed to this.  However, something needs to be done to stop people from using cell phones because they are the number one danger on our roads.

Remember to be defensive and watch out for everyone on the road, because they are not watching out for you.  Ride Safe!

[GiG]

I have been teaching driver education in a high school in New York for the past 8 years.  I was also a technology teacher for 31 years until retiring a few years ago.  I am not a believer in technology because it makes people more dependent of it and before long they will not be able to do things without the technology.  I feel that all of this technology in cars is because lawmakers do not want to pass the laws that will make our roads safer again.  They have talked about passing a bill to making it mandatory for cell phone companies to make the phones inoperative when they are in a car if the car is moving.  Many people are opposed to this.  However, something needs to be done to stop people from using cell phones because they are the number one danger on our roads.

Remember to be defensive and watch out for everyone on the road, because they are not watching out for you.  Ride Safe!

Bull, I agree with 90% of what you say except for the cell phone being inoperative while in a moving car.
If they can accomplish that for DRIVER ONLY, great, I'm all for it.
I am sick of cell phone morons trying to kill me every day on the road!
Sometimes though, I want to use mine while I am a passenger while someone else is driving. It may be an emergency situation, navigation, or some other important function.
Like, maybe, posting ride reports 

[cookiedough]

My techy neighbor in his late 50s likes all that crap.  I am 110% against it we just had that conversation yet again.  He told me a guy he knows has that crash avoidance and he set it for say 3 seconds to apply brakes, a guy pulled in front of him and his car automatically SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES causing bodily injury (although minor) to him and others in the car when it really was NOT that much needed to SLAM HARD on the brakes by a stupid computer doing it.

Who then is to blame for bodily injury when a car does brake too hard automatically?  

stupidest thing I ever heard of cars braking automatically.

He loves that blind spot monitoring sensor when putting turn signal on when switching lanes it lets you know a car is in the blind spot area.  I told him - you have eyes, turn your head and LOOK yourself - PROBLEM SOLVED..    IDIOTS are out there,  be AWARE.

ONLY thing I like is the backup camera when in reverse for hooking up my trailer I can get within one inch of where I need to be is nice to have but sensors beeping at me is OUT.  Am so glad I bought my 2017 tundra before 2018 tundra coming out.  Toyota took it upon themselves in 2018 to add TONS of safety features as standard eqmt. on all 2018 tundras.  Wanna bet 90% of them I would HATE and not want to use and wanna bet the msrp is going to go up 2 grand just because of the standard safety features they are adding to the tundra in 2018.

[Daniel Meyer]

My stepdad always says if they'd just mount a big steel spike in the center of the steering wheel that we wouldn't need airbags...nobody would run into anything anymore

[DirtyDan]

My stepdad always says if they'd just mount a big steel spike in the center of the steering wheel that we wouldn't need airbags...nobody would run into anything anymore

My buddy back home (NJ) says the same thing

Dan

[Alpha Dog]

I wonder what the trend in collision statistics is.  I know injury and fatality statistics are steadily trending downward, probably as a result of steadily improving occupant protection measures (air bags, crush zones, etc.), but what about collisions per million drivers or per million miles driven?
I wonder if the larger number of examples of poor driving I see is largely due to more drivers being on the road.  I don't pay attention to all the drivers who are using common good sense.

When it comes to backing trailers, I really need to practise.  It doesn't help that I rarely pull a trailer, and that the one I pull is tiny, and that the distance from my car's axle to the hitch is quite short; small deviations quickly send the trailer off course, and small corrections require huge lateral swings of the front end of my car.

I am not sure about Canada but in the states in the past couple of years fatalities have risen by the highest rates in over 2 generations of drives.  So I would assume that crashes have also, but I could be wrong.  In 2015 in Ohio they put out those programmable signs on the interstates  displaying fatalities.  At the end of the year the number was up 11 percent over previous year.  Articles have come out showing this is happening nationwide.  The reason is what most on this board would suspect. 

[Jess from VA]

If while riding your motorcycle, with bad drivers' all around you, you keep this little tune in your head, you will accept all the misfortune, threats and near misses that come your way in good spirits and humor.

We've seen it before.  It's still good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wT7zM8XgXQ

[Harryc]

Some times I do not hit the mute button quick enough. I see where a lot of these newer cars-17 models in this instance-have lane departure warnings automatic braking and back up assistance for parallel parking or backing a trailer in. I was Taught these Skills at an early age and my professional career was Driving. Not bragging but I could put a 53 foot trailer into places never designed for them. These younger-well not drivers more like steering wheel holders when they ain't texting-I M H O are already lacking driver skills and with the cars making decisions how will they Ever learn Driving Skill? Doe's the vehicle incursion alarm sense motorcycles? Does the vehicle sense too fast for conditions-ice snow fog rain etc? Guess where I'm headin with this if the vehicle is makin the decisions HOW zackly is anyone learning How to react in an emergency situation? Honest Officer I thought the car was gonna stop in time to keep from runnin into you!  I killed that M/C rider? The car killed him! I wuz waitin fer the car to take over!  Now Brothers and Sisters Try to RIDE SAFE.

You would hate these. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXMGi9kQ3TE

[Skinhead]

My stepdad always says if they'd just mount a big steel spike in the center of the steering wheel that we wouldn't need airbags...nobody would run into anything anymore

My buddy back home (NJ) says the same thing

Dan

They use to have these prior to the 70's, it was called a steering column.  After all the deaths by impalement, they developed the collapsible steering column which has been a standard safety item since.   Didn't seem to do much good prior to the 70s, but maybe having that sharp mother staring you in the face going down the road would have some effect.

[old2soon]

Some times I do not hit the mute button quick enough. I see where a lot of these newer cars-17 models in this instance-have lane departure warnings automatic braking and back up assistance for parallel parking or backing a trailer in. I was Taught these Skills at an early age and my professional career was Driving. Not bragging but I could put a 53 foot trailer into places never designed for them. These younger-well not drivers more like steering wheel holders when they ain't texting-I M H O are already lacking driver skills and with the cars making decisions how will they Ever learn Driving Skill? Doe's the vehicle incursion alarm sense motorcycles? Does the vehicle sense too fast for conditions-ice snow fog rain etc? Guess where I'm headin with this if the vehicle is makin the decisions HOW zackly is anyone learning How to react in an emergency situation? Honest Officer I thought the car was gonna stop in time to keep from runnin into you!  I killed that M/C rider? The car killed him! I wuz waitin fer the car to take over!  Now Brothers and Sisters Try to RIDE SAFE.

You would hate these. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXMGi9kQ3TE

            Well Maybe not hate. BUT I WOULD be hard pressed to trust MY particular sorry azz to a frikin computer. Bad nuff being on my M/C around some-NOT all-but some riders that at best Do not KNOW How to ride and at worst will permanently punch yer ticket. Can you Even imagine a newby on that puter chip bimmer??  RIDE SAFE.

[sandy]

Ted Kazinskis manifesto predicted the issue of technology taking the thinking process away from humans. Killing tech CEOs was a bad solution but he had a point.