Driverless car technology is getting closer and closer, but it is really not ready for public usage. What we now have is lane maintaining and automatic emergency braking (AEB).
What I am going to talk about is the technology that can be found on many mainstream car manufacture’s vehicles, automatic emergency braking systems. Here is a list of those companies that offer some kind of AEB system: Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo. So most automakers do offer AEB on one or more of their models.
How AEB works, “The technology varies from one manufacturer to the next, but most systems include the use of sensors, radar or cameras to detect a possible collision, then signals to the driver that danger may be imminent. “That’s usually by an audible beeping, or there can be a flashing in the instrument panel,” Aylor says. “Some manufacturers will even tighten the seat belt. All of that is to try and get the driver back engaged.” But if a driver doesn’t react to the warning signal, the technology takes control.
Different cars do this in different ways. “Some will do everything in their power to come to a stop and avoid the collision,” says Greg Brannon, director of automotive engineering and industry relations for AAA, which has studied the technology extensively. “Others will scrub just a couple miles an hour off before colliding with a vehicle — even though it’s detected it.”
Some also can detect pedestrians in front of the car; some can’t. So it’s important for a driver to understand how his or her own car’s system will react to obstacles.”
So while the technology works, it is far from perfect and it is really meant as a backup for the distracted driver. My problem with these systems that they sometimes give false warnings and are far from perfect enough to prevent all accidents that they are designed to prevent.
You might have seen ads on TV that show how one manufacture’s systems saves you from a collision, the problem is that these systems are being touted as the perfect solution for inattentive drivers. Well to me that is the main problem, inattentive or distracted driving is a sign of someone who should not be driving in the first place. By being attentive to what is happening around you as you are driving is not something that should be left to these AEB systems. What I think they are good for is those situations where something happens faster than a human being can react to and that is where these system shine.
So use AEB at your own risk and do not become dependent on it.
That is my opinion- Jumpin Jersey Mike
