https://www.ntsb.gov/news/events/Documents/2020-HWY18FH011-BMG-abstract.pdf

Skimming the abstract further emphasizes what I and others have been maintaining for years -- it is unreasonable to expect a driver using these kinds of technologies to remain actively engaged in the driving process when they are operating in a purely passive mode for extended periods of time. Humans just don't function that way.

 

Skimming the abstract further emphasizes what I and others have been maintaining for years -- it is unreasonable to expect a driver using these kinds of technologies to remain actively engaged in the driving process when they are operating in a purely passive mode for extended periods of time. Humans just don't function that way.

One NTSB solution is to lockout electronic distractions when driving to force engagement with the driving process.

Additionally, an engineering solution to the distracted driving problem is needed. Electronic device manufacturers have the capability to lock out highly distracting functions of portable electronic devices when being used by an operator while driving, and such a feature should be installed as a default setting on all devices.

I see that as being totally unrealistic with today's phone/gadget addicted drivers and as you say, Human Nature. The real solution is actual level-5 self-driving instead of the fake level-2/3 self-driving seen in cars today.

 

Skimming the abstract further emphasizes what I and others have been maintaining for years -- it is unreasonable to expect a driver using these kinds of technologies to remain actively engaged in the driving process when they are operating in a purely passive mode for extended periods of time. Humans just don't function that way.

In simple terms, I'd say that it's more tiring and demanding for a person to closely monitor a system than to actually be an active participant.

 

One NTSB solution is to lockout electronic distractions when driving to force engagement with the driving process.

That is a poorly thought-out pipe dream. You could force the person to sit there without any form of distraction at all -- no music, no food, no phone, nothing -- and you will still have the same situation (with marginal improvement). The person is still a passive participant and that will be their level of engagement -- i.e., basically none. If they don't have anything else available, they will hum or sing to themselves or they will daydream or plan their vacation or read a book or watch the pretty flowers in the field off to the right. They will be doing just about anything OTHER than being engaged in the driving process. Even if you used eye tracking sensors to measure where they are looking, people will just train themselves to passively make the right motions to make the software happy without being actually engaged in the driving process. If you want them to be engaged in the driving process, then they need to be actively engaged in the driving process, which will largely defeat the intent of the automation.

 

In simple terms, I'd say that it's more tiring and demanding for a person to closely monitor a system than to actually be an active participant.

I agree. And even if that weren't the case, there is still a large degredation in performance, in addition to a time lag, when someone monitoring a process has to suddenly determine that they need to step in and take over.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/12/technology/self-driving-cars-coronavirus.html

SAN FRANCISCO — Tech companies once promised that fully functional, self-driving cars would be on the road by 2020 and on the path to remaking transportation and transforming the economy.
But a decade after Google unveiled an autonomous car prototype with global fanfare, the technology is still far from ready, and many investors are wary of dumping more money into it — just when the world could benefit from cars that ferry people and deliver packages without a human driver.

Five year olds can drive.

 

Why can't we ever take the hint?

Flying cars are just ten years away -- and have been since the 1950's. Fusion is just ten years away -- and has been since the 1960's. The cure diabetes is just ten years away -- and has been since the 1980's.Autonomous cars are just ten years away -- and have been for going on a couple decades. And every time we hear about an advancement in any of these (and oh so many other things) it's always just ten years away.

Well, it's been a LOT more then ten years since I learned to take ANY story that claims something revolutionary is just ten years away as having 99% chance of being pure wishful thinking with no basis in actual, real, thoughtful analysis of what is actually possible, let alone likely.

 

https://www.autoblog.com/2020/06/01/video-tesla-model-3-crashes-into-overturned-truck/

According to a roughly translated excerpt from CNA, the driver was expecting the car to brake without his input.

"The police said that the driver of the Tesla electric vehicle, Huang, claimed to have the vehicle assist system turned on, and the speed was fixed at 110 kilometers per hour," the article says. "He thought that the car itself would detect the obstacle and automatically brake, but he was surprised that the car did not slow down."

From this passage, it sounds like the driver was using either adaptive cruise control or some form of Tesla's Autopilot driving assistance technology, though it was not directly named or confirmed. This type of speculation sprouts from Tesla's previous issues with its Autopilot system, which is not autonomous nor self-driving. Autopilot remains a safety-focused driver assistance program that requires driver attention at all times. Self-driving cars do not exist yet.

 

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https://www.autoblog.com/2020/06/01/video-tesla-model-3-crashes-into-overturned-truck/

I think it's idiotic to offer customers a half-baked solution of a supposed autopilot feature. Either the car drives, or the driver drives. It's stupid to pretend that one has an "assistant driver" while on the road trying to help. That only complicates things instead of making them easier or simpler.

 

I think it's idiotic to offer customers a half-baked solution of a supposed autopilot feature. Either the car drives, or the driver drives. It's stupid to pretend that one has an "assistant driver" while on the road trying to help. That only complicates things instead of making them easier or simpler.

Where does that leave ABS for instance?

 

Where does that leave ABS for instance?

ABS is not doing the driving for you, nor making decisions as to your trajectory. What it does is stop the car as quickly as it can, but only at your very own command. It's no different from installing enhanced performance tires, for instance.

 

ABS is not doing the driving for you, nor making decisions as to your trajectory. What it does is stop the car as quickly as it can, but only at your very own command. It's no different from installing enhanced performance tires, for instance.

ABS does control the brake pressure applied to the pads. If the driver commands maximum pressure, the ABS overrules the driver.

 

ABS does control the brake pressure applied to the pads. If the driver commands maximum pressure, the ABS overrules the driver.

Kinda sucks when you want to drift...

(or is that "traction control"?)

 

(or is that "traction control"?)

Another example.

 

ABS does control the brake pressure applied to the pads. If the driver commands maximum pressure, the ABS overrules the driver.

So ... the driver know that when he applies maximum pressure, ABS will activate ... again, the driver is making the decisions.

 

the driver is making the decisions

And being overruled.

 

And being overruled.

By choice...

 

Also ... even without ABS, the tires would screech ... overruling the driver? ... or with hydraulic steering ... the system is overriding my own strength?

 

By choice...

No, the driver didn't decide whether, when, or if to deploy ABS. The decision was taken out of his hands.

 

No, the driver didn't decide whether, when, or if to deploy ABS. The decision was taken out of his hands.

I don’t know about your car, but I have to manually select ABS. I typically use ABS in snowy or icy conditions and turn it off otherwise.