Pros/Cons of Ford Co-Pilot360 Smart Tech in the 2019 Ranger

[Geoff]

That is why I asked if the wheel shook. Many years ago, after staying up all night, I literally fell asleep at the wheel and drifted across the yellow line and then across the white line on the other side of the road. Someone was looking out for me, because I woke up as someone was coming in the other lane. Scared the crap out of me and I didn't have any problems staying awake after that. Last summer on a trip, I got sleepy but the rumble strips on the white line perked me up. I think stuff like this (if properly done) is helpful.

Yes, I agree that the rumble strip steering wheel feedback is useful, especially on long interstate drives. But, like Hollywood, if it can be done it can be overdone, and the nag message is overdone IMO.

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[bandit67]

Yeah, so much better to fall asleep and wreck! And no, it doesn’t allow anyone to become a worse driver.

What is causing people to become worse drivers are all the features like those that keep you in your lane, brake for you, adaptive cruise, parallel & perpendicular park, etc.

Yes, all convenient bits of tech, but it is causing more and more folks to pay less attention to their driving, knowing the vehicle will cover for the driver being more distracted. The tech isn't perfect yet, and folks get used to it and count on it, and can't react quick enough when there is a breakdown in the system. Sensor fails, snow or ice blocks a sensor, etc.

So there are both positives and negatives to all this cool tech.

 

[mike]

What is causing people to become worse drivers are all the features like those that keep you in your lane, brake for you, adaptive cruise, parallel & perpendicular park, etc.

Yes, all convenient bits of tech, but it is causing more and more folks to pay less attention to their driving, knowing the vehicle will cover for the driver being more distracted. The tech isn't perfect yet, and folks get used to it and count on it, and can't react quick enough when there is a breakdown in the system. Sensor fails, snow or ice blocks a sensor, etc.

So there are both positives and negatives to all this cool tech.

I agree with you and I am starting to think it is by design. The genie is out of the bottle at this point and I will be glad when the tech saves me or my wife from being rear-ended by some idiot not paying attention. As long as I can turn most if not all of it off, Im fine.

 

[Geoff]

The bigger problem is DISTRACTED DRIVING such as texting while driving. I see that quite frequently, especially at stop lights. In fact just recently we were following a woman driving in a construction zone with one lane each direction and she's doing 20mph under the limit and weaving all over the place. When we finally were able to pass her she was texting. She should have been arrested. And don't get me started on the folks who sit in the left lane and hold up traffic forcing everyone to go around. Keep right except to pass is a thing of the past.

Adaptive cruise doesn't make drivers worse anymore than standard cruise control. But it will slow you down if you're not paying attention. Do that with regular cruise and you're rear ending the car in front. I also completely disagree with the assertion that Blind spot technology makes drivers worse. IMO that IMPROVES driver safety because you don't have to crane your neck around (and possibly jerking the steering wheel while doing so) to see if it's safe to change lanes.

For, me I leave lane keeping off except for highway trips. I do not like it on backcountry snowy roads. That technology is not foolproof.

I get a chuckle out of seeing folks trying to parallel park multiple times (and some just quit and find another spot). Used to be you had to parallel park to pass the driving test. Flunk that, flunk the test. I learned how to do that when I was 16 and to this day (at 68) don't have a problem parallel parking. I think there are just too many unqualified drivers on the road.

 

[mike]

Driving is a skill that requires people to use all their senses. That skill (should) refine and improve over time. More technology/sensors taking over those duties means people are no longer engaging those parts of the brain which means if they are ever in a vehicle without that technology they will effectively be driving impaired.

I am 54 now and to this day am trying to become a better driver every time I get in the car. I am literally better than any current driving safety aid/technology. I see and anticipate things in traffic that current technologies would miss. It almost impossible for me to be surprised in traffic. Granted, thats not the norm.

We have decided that drivers can't be held to a standard so we will build technologies that eventually will lead to a fully automated future. Right now, I chaffe at that thought but then if I make it to 90 I will probably appreciate the easy mobility.

 

[Geoff]

The point is people are not using that skill now. I'd bet a good 75-80 percent of the cars on the road have no such technology in their vehicles. Technology costs money.

How about anti-lock brakes and stability control and roll control. And now emergency braking. Technology may make lazy careless drivers more careless but for most these are worthwhile features.

NHTSA: Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 3,450 lives in 2016 alone. NHTSA leads the national effort to save lives by preventing this dangerous behavior.

if you want to remove technology from the vehicle start with cell phones. That's the biggest technology problem, not adaptive cruise control, or BLIS.

 

[mike]

I suppose you are directing your comments at me. I would suggest that you reread my last two.

Technologies are making us, as a whole worse drivers (talking skills). One can be bad but still get worse. What I did say is that we have decided not to hold drivers to a standard. Cant argue with distracted driving but that will be a thing of the past soon enough. You wont be distracted if you are not actually driving.

I also said that. . now that the genie is out of the bottle, I am more than happy to be saved being rear-ended or side swiped by some idiot. We eventually also won't hear whiners complaining they got hit by someone running a red light when they could have spent an extra second or two using the sensors in their head and actually looking.

Me? I will hopefully be allowed to continue to become a better driver unencumbered by "safety" nannies.

Interesting that I have been playing around with the cruise control in our Rogue. I routinely get 1 to 2 mpg better when I use my foot. I also play around being my own adaptive cruise control by using nothing but the buttons on the steering wheel. Pretty cool how that heightens the senses And forces you to anticipate even further ahead.

 

[Geoff]

I suppose you are directing your comments at me. I would suggest that you reread my last two.

Technologies are making us, as a whole worse drivers (talking skills). One can be bad but still get worse. What I did say is that we have decided not to hold drivers to a standard. Cant argue with distracted driving but that will be a thing of the past soon enough. You wont be distracted if you are not actually driving.

I also said that. . now that the genie is out of the bottle, I am more than happy to be saved being rear-ended or side swiped by some idiot. We eventually also won't hear whiners complaining they got hit by someone running a red light when they could have spent an extra second or two using the sensors in their head and actually looking.

Me? I will hopefully be allowed to continue to become a better driver unencumbered by "safety" nannies.

Interesting that I have been playing around with the cruise control in our Rogue. I routinely get 1 to 2 mpg better when I use my foot. I also play around being my own adaptive cruise control by using nothing but the buttons on the steering wheel. Pretty cool how that heightens the senses And forces you to anticipate even further ahead.

I've read and considered your comments and I respect your opinion. I just don't agree with it as far as technology making us worse drivers. Peace tho, and I hope you enjoy your Lariat!!!!

 

[Pinecrestjim]

Cell phones are the single most item causing driver distraction today. I just took my driver safety course to get a discount off the insurance (available if you're over 50). The course stated that a cell phone call whether hands free or not is more distractive than texting or eating while driving. The basis being that texting/eating is for the most part momentary whereas a call is continuous. And yet automotive engineers continue to build on cellphone distractions in every vehicle. Automatic cell phone connections, WiFi hotspots, etc.

I'm in my 60s and had to learn parallel parking to get a license. Nowadays, no such requirement. I feel that it is along the same mindset that we as a society have dumbed down our country and for what purpose? To allow more people to pass whatever criteria while our society as a whole suffers?

I need to step down off my soap box.....

 

[Geoff]

Cell phones are the single most item causing driver distraction today. I just took my driver safety course to get a discount off the insurance (available if you're over 50). The course stated that a cell phone call whether hands free or not is more distractive than texting or eating while driving. The basis being that texting/eating is for the most part momentary whereas a call is continuous. And yet automotive engineers continue to build on cellphone distractions in every vehicle. Automatic cell phone connections, WiFi hotspots, etc.

I'm in my 60s and had to learn parallel parking to get a license. Nowadays, no such requirement. I feel that it is along the same mindset that we as a society have dumbed down our country and for what purpose? To allow more people to pass whatever criteria while our society as a whole suffers?

I need to step down off my soap box.....

I think you and I are on the same soapbox....lol...

 

[FX4Offroad]

Cell phones are the single most item causing driver distraction today. I just took my driver safety course to get a discount off the insurance (available if you're over 50). The course stated that a cell phone call whether hands free or not is more distractive than texting or eating while driving. The basis being that texting/eating is for the most part momentary whereas a call is continuous. And yet automotive engineers continue to build on cellphone distractions in every vehicle. Automatic cell phone connections, WiFi hotspots, etc.

I'm in my 60s and had to learn parallel parking to get a license. Nowadays, no such requirement. I feel that it is along the same mindset that we as a society have dumbed down our country and for what purpose? To allow more people to pass whatever criteria while our society as a whole suffers?

I need to step down off my soap box.....

I couldn't agree more.

The world is different - especially for us older folks. We've seen lots of changes in our lifetimes and IMO, they are not all good. Society is working out ways to shift responsibility elsewhere and not to the actual person(s) that should be responsible. Designers of systems have gone too far in trying to simplify things and have made people lazy

I think you and I are on the same soapbox....lol...

Me three

 

[mike]

I've read and considered your comments and I respect your opinion. I just don't agree with it as far as technology making us worse drivers. Peace tho, and I hope you enjoy your Lariat!!!!

Driving is a skill. Like *any* skill, one gets better through repetition and experiences.

Adding in technologies like lane assist, lane warning, emergency braking, etc etc are making the new generations of drivers *less capable* (or...worse) If one gives themselves over to technology (and today's youth has shown that they completely embrace technology) then certain skills will never be developed. Not sure how that can be argued. I can use technology to easily solve a complex math problem but that doesn't make me a mathematician.

I won't argue and I'm not making the argument that technology will not result in safer roads. Sadly, I feel like we are continually dumbing down to the lowest common denominator in the name of "safety" or "fairness". I'm curious to see how thieves and thugs will take advantage of the nascent technologies.

It's all philosophical at this point because the future is very clear. When on the grid, automobiles will be completely autonomous. We'll be completely safe in our transportation appliances. The cool thing about that will be that when that red light changes to green 1/4 mile in front of you, you won't have to wait an entire light cycle for the moving forward wave to reach you ;-)

Enjoy your slowly disappearing driving freedoms (in your Ranger!). I see you are retired..If you have kids, I'm sure they will have interesting stories for their great grandchildren

Aloha

 

[Geoff]

Adding in technologies like lane assist, lane warning, emergency braking, etc etc are making the new generations of drivers *less capable* (or...worse) If one gives themselves over to technology (and today's youth has shown that they completely embrace technology) then certain skills will never be developed. Not sure how that can be argued. I can use technology to easily solve a complex math problem but that doesn't make me a mathematician.

Aloha

Well again, I disagree but I respect your opinion.

Edit, I do agree that parallel parking assist falls into the dumbing down category but the other items you mentioned fall into the safety category. Anyone who relies on lane assist and emergency braking shouldn't be driving.

 

[mike]

Well again, I disagree but I respect your opinion.

Edit, I do agree that parallel parking assist falls into the dumbing down category but the other items you mentioned fall into the safety category. Anyone who relies on lane assist and emergency braking shouldn't be driving.

That's the thing though, people don't understand the technology limits. That's not just my opinion, there is quite a bit of easily accessible research. It's quite possibly even worse. People unrealistically relying on technology (to be even more distracted) AND not developing proper driving skills.

Like I said, it won't matter in the future. We are in the very early stages on the way to fully autonomous where driving skills will be irrelevant.

Glad I was born when I was

 

[pannwfn]

I am mean old man also some things are good, bliss back up cameras hmmmm that's a about it. Around here a 16 year old just has to drive around the block to get a license. I have a class a cdl they give you a 10 K fine for playing with your plastic penis. They should plug into your obd and then down load when you have a accident then check your cell phone to see if you were on it then charge you with careless or reckless driving and screw your ass to the wall. I am going to smoke a cigarette now that I'm ranting and raving.

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