Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: 'A Game Changer': Andrew Yang Explains How He'd Give Every American $1,000 Per Month [View all]MineralMan
(146,306 posts)going to hit the road, then?
I think we're a long way from that, still. Now that most new cars have emergency braking to prevent collisions, we're hearing the stories of them kicking in when there's no reason, thus causing accidents, themselves.
I just bought a 2020 KIA Soul. I was considering the second trim level up from the base trim, until I saw that the primary difference between the two was a set of "safety features" that included lane keeping assist, front end collision auto braking, "smart" cruise control, and a couple of others. The difference in price was only $1000, and the upgrade would also have gotten me some nice alloy wheels.
I bought the cheaper trim, specifically to not have those automated safety features, or "nannies" as many call them. I read user reports of the lane keeping assist trying to steer the car on rainy days, or when lane markers were otherwise obscured. The "smart cruise control," too, was reacting to slower vehicles in other lanes sometimes, and slowing the car down with no reason. The front end collision avoidance automation was reported to have stopped cars at an overpass on the freeway on a downgrade, apparently thinking the overpass was a stalled vehicle.
This is stuff being actively put into cars. It probably works most of the time, as designed, but not always. In fact, it can cause dangerous problems. We truly are not ready for autonomous vehicles at this time. The technology is not up to the job, really, It may never be. Sorry.
So, I"m glad I bought the cheaper trim level. Even it, though, has automatic stop and go that shuts the engine off at traffic lights and stop signs, restarting it when you take your foot off the brake. Fortunately, it has a button on the dash that lets you disable that feature. I press that button immediately after starting the car. Every time. I do not want the 2 second delay it causes when a light changes, nor the extra wear on the starter and battery. Nope. Not to save a tiny amount of gas. Not happening.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden