Latest Moan From You and Me 2024

Cosworth!

 

Cossie.. but it has to be said in West Midland's accent...

 

You'd think ADAS would prevent accidents, but it seems not - it can 'lessen' the impact by braking or even steering, but in reality it will (at best) mean you hit something not just as hard as you would have done without it.

It is also fallible tech - I have a Volvo XC60 which is really good generally, but it does get it wrong; it did it to me a few weeks back on a dual carriageway, right hand curve (not a sharp bend by any means), I was in lane 2 passing a moped and it was absolutely hammering with rain - - the ADAS "saw" the crash barrier on my right and (I think) because of the curve triggered the emergency system and braked quite sharply, but applied most of the braking effort to the front nearside, immediately pulling me toward the moped!

I mentioned it to a friend who is a motoring journalist, and his sister works in accident investigation with the police and they've had quite a few cases now where the ADAS intervention has made matters worse instead of better, particularly where lane departure auto-steering is involved. He said he always makes a point of switching these things off - but there are many cars now where you can't.

The other thing, when you think about it, the cameras are placed right at the top of the windscreen, so anything that breaks or cracks the windscreen compromises the ADAS; likewise, the radar sensors are placed behind the front grille or lower valance which nowadays are all plastic, so even a relatively minor bump will shatter it.

 

Ah, now it has been pinched and is Automatic Driver Assistance System... a proper pain in the rump really.

 

The worst one mine does is go bananas when I am driving down a narrow street with parked cars - seems to think I am going to hit them and starts sounding alarms and trying to brake.

I wouldn't mind, but it uses the same camera that it does for the automatic wipers and they are less than useless! I thought the Jag was bad, but the Volvo takes it to a new level.

 

If I could, I would buy something like a Vauxhall Cavalier or Ford Sierra from the early 90's - - maybe an early Mondeo as they are the last sort of cars you can work on and keep going fairly easily.