VIDEO - Who is in Control?

Video This video from the Dutch Safety Board poses a very interesting question: "Who is in Control?" With more and more Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) being incorporated into new vehicles this is a very important consideration. News of collisions happening when these systems fail is not new. This raises another important question: "Who is at Fault?"

My vehicles don't have ADAS, yet, so I had to read an owner's manual for a newer vehicle to get some idea of what to do about sensor maintenance and precautions. It appears that calibration is required after repair, replacement or damage (which includes being subjected to sudden forces), They need regular maintenance to keep their view unobstructed and their environment needs to remain unobstructed:

If a glass coating agent is applied to the windshield, it will still be necessary to use the windshield wipers to remove water droplets, etc. from the area of the windshield in front of the front camera
Do not attach objects, such as stickers, transparent stickers, etc., to the outer side of the windshield in front of the front camera area
Do not attach window tint to the windshield
Do not allow bright lights to shine into the front camera
Do not modify any components of the vehicle around the front camera (inside rear view mirror, etc.) or ceiling
Do not attach any accessories to the hood, front grille or front bumper that may obstruct the front camera
Do not modify the headlights or other lights
Do not allow roof mounted cargo to obstruct the front camera

I have this advanced driver

I have this advanced driver assistance technology in my vehicle. It's a highly advanced model out it at that. Lane departure, forward and rear collision. Front vehicle departure. The whole shebang. It came with the rest of the advancements I'd been waiting my entire life for technology to perfect well enough to be reliable enough to use in my private car.

and I can tell you this, if I relied and reacted to every time one of those warning systems went off, I'd say that 95% of the time, it would put me into, at best, a dangerous situation, most of the time, the consequences would be, I think, a lot worse than just dangerous, it would be deadly.

I don't think that the advanced driver control technology end of it is anywhere near ready to be put into use for regular driver use. It's not safe. It makes too many mistakes.

The only reliable means of driver and road safety is training and skills and the vigilant respect and use of them. There is nothing else that can replace or make up for the lack of simple basic training and understanding.

I think it is going to be

I think it is going to be years before our Canadian winter roads are compatible with a lot of these sensors.

Vehicle Automation

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