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Amazing Things Your Automobile Can't Do
dslmodem submitted this NYT story on nifty automobile technology that isn't coming to the United States. The report suggests that legal liability is a significant reason for not offering various driver-distracting options in the U.S.
I would like to be able to watch tv or other video when stuck in traffic. Having the video system turn off once the car starts moving over 3mph sounds like a great idea. But, here in the US, you can sue anybody for anything and stand a good chance of winning so I understand the car makers reticence.
http://www.busyweather.com/
Let's just hope that car blow jobs aren't in that list ;)
One thing that is very cool that they have in Europe is 'TMC' -- radio stations will broadcast traffic alerts on where there is bad traffic. This will automagically update the route computers in most cars' naviation systems to find an alternate route around the traffic jam. No-one in the states has it, but it is standard with all VW/Audi/Skoda/Seat NAV+ units in the EU. Absolutely shameful.
From the article...
---NY Times quote---
While the system seems ideal for congested streets like New York's, "we have no plans for the U.S.," said Jon Bucci, corporate manager for advanced technology at Toyota Motor Sales. "This is a very litigious society."
---NY Times quote---
So, to recap: the fact that the auto-parallel park will continue parking even if a 3 year old steps in the way is not a reason to withhold the feature. No, the threat of a lawsuit is the reason.
Seems to me like this is a classic example of why US lawsuits are a good thing (tm). They're preventing companies from rolling out products that could run over little kids without allowing the operator to override.
Support a few technologists in Washington.
A friend went to visit me and thought those features were really cool because he had a Jetta but didn't have any of those.
I don't see how VW would get sued for having those features. But I think in North America, the car makers think we don't care about knowing mpg, outside temp or having a rain sensor as much as like having a bigger engine and faster car. It's about preference.
Personally I don't agree with how car makers perceive NA market. My friend thought he would rather have a smaller engine but better features. He prefer the Bora to his Jetta. I think there is a good market for car that are not powerful but more high tech.
Then you have many options that will work for you besides cars.
A) Walk
B) Bike
C) Moped
You can also buy the bottom of the line models that the manufacturers sell without radio or anything else. I, however like to listen to music while driving as it helps me concentrate.
Fly me to the moon Let me sing among those stars Let me see what spring is like On jupiter and mars
Just about the time these technologies are officially outlawed, auto auto-pilot will become widely available. We'll have nothing better to do during our auto-commutes than pick our noses, floss or gawk at attractive female commuters....slightly less dangerously than we do currently.
http://www.techyrants.com
IIRC someone in the UK came up with the mathmatic
formula for parallel parking a car perfectly.
i'm pretty sure that everything in math is repeatable.
link here
upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
Diesel engines in the US get horrible emissions ratings because we have shitty diesel. You can get around this by burning veggie or biodiesel, but it still keeps most car companies from send diesels or hybrid-diesels (mmm... 65 mpg in a family sedan on free fuel) our way.
You have two hands and one brain, so always code twice as much as you think!
Darn it, look at all the death, chronic pain, and permanent disability we could have if we just had more distractions while driving.
Notice how people can have normal conversations in the their car. But put that hand to their ear, and they're all over the road!
Why are there only 19 people folding@home for slashdot?
I like your suggestions, and I have one more...
Last I heard, something like 6% of doctors were causing 66% of the malpractice payouts. Yet what ends up happening is that a hospital hides the records, in order to move the doctor elsewhere. The doctor has no visible blackmark, and is free to continue practicing (Perhaps the ordinary meaning of 'practice' is appropriate, here.) medicine.
If I mess up at my profession and am 'encouraged' to leave, the black mark would follow me. Doctors should be the same, if there's some clear indication of incompetence or negligence. I'll presume that that 6% of doctors isn't a matter of 'bad luck,' it's the bottom of the bell curve, and those people shouldn't be doctors.
The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
One functionality on Mercedes-Benz vehicles that has really changed brake technologies is Sensotronic Brakes (SBC). Many of the features of SBC have not been brought over and activated in the United States such as "Traffic Jam Assist" and "Soft Stop." These items help both to prevent fatigue and increase comfort, resulting in less stressful (and more relaxing) driving.
More about year 2003 SBC technology
I don't know about you guys, but if I had a plasma screen, GPS enabled, internet connected whatsamadoozit in my car it would be gone in about, oh, one night of parking near the damn section 8 housing up the street.
Actually, TVs are illegal in the front seat in Japanese cars. If you have a factory installed system it has to blank itself when the car is in gear. GPS is OK, but no TVs or DVD players. Of course, that's not to say that people don't put them in illegally. When I was in Japan in 1998, my boss had a hi-8 vcp and a 5" trinitron monitor bolted to the dash of his subaru. He would dub rented VHS tapes to hi-8 and watch them in his car.
+++ ATH0 +++
If you're going to drive an urban assault vehicle, then get off the phone & keep your eyes on the road.
What's the point of actually getting an urban assault vehicle if I can't stop paying attention the road? That's the whole point of armor, man.
One of the biggest problems with the current tort system is the cost of the proceedings in and of themselves. In many, many cases, it is far more economical for the insurance company to settle out of court even when the plaintiff has no case.
A couple of true stories I have personal knowledge of:
- A friend's girlfriend ate something that gave her food poisoning at a restaurant while traveling. On the flight back, she got violently ill and had to be admitted to a hospital. A few days later, the airline (I believe it was Northwest) called her and offered her $10,000 if she promised not to sue them. This, inspite of the fact that it was not their fault - she hadn't eaten anything on the plane.
- A partner in my brother-in-laws real estate firm took a client (a lawyer) out to look at houses. While they were driving, they got into a minor fender bender. 6 months later, the lawyer sued the real estate agent complaining of neck pain - inspite of the fact that a month after the accident the lawyer had fallen in her boat and broken her neck. His insurance company decided not to contest and settled for $150,000.
In both cases, the "plaintiff" was awarded/offered a undeserved large sum of money for something that was not the "defendants" fault. The reason? In most cases the cost of fighting the suit would be more than the settlement offered.
The tort reform we need is expediting the process and costs of tort suits rather than limiting the damages.
Mmmm.. Donuts
Fiat pulled out of the US market years ago. I miss them. Over the years I've had several Fiat 850 Spyders and a coupe, I've had a 124 too.
They were good basic cars that were fun to drive and easy to work on. What more can you really ask for?
Now to see what they offer in Europe, hell, I'd kill for one of them.
Sometimes people would tell me that FIAT stood for "Fix It Again, Tony." I'll admit that I have my share of problems with the cars, but then I was really driving 'em a little harder than I should have too. Besides, they were fun to fix. I could lift the engine out of an 850 all by myself and a complete engine swap only took an afternoon or so. Frankly, I'd bet that had I been driving American cars I would have had as many problems and would have had to spend a lot more to fix 'em.
A junk yard I knew spliced a 124 and a 128 together, it was just sort of a joke but they had a two engined car to show off!
I only regret that I never got around to owning a X/19 or 2000.
way more americans die in traffic accidents every year than because of international terrorism. you, sir, are threat to homeland security.
More Americans died in September 2001 from traffic accidents than because of international terrorism.
The trick is, you polarize the headlights and the windshield at 45 degrees.
The stuff that reflects back from your headlights comes through no probs, but the lights from oncoming traffic is completely blocked by your windshield, because it's at 90 degree polarization to your windshield!
He did test in the 1960s, and said the results were spectacular. The only downside was that headlights need to be a bit brighter to compensate for the polarized windshield.
Your collision and comprehensive are high because your insurance company is playing a shell game with the stock market. Didn't you find it striking that everyone's insurance rates increased in the post 9-11 stock market crash?
Furthermore, insurance companies get away with the one thing society says we shouldn't do; base a decision on gender. Why should I have to pay more for the same coverage as my sister, yet we both have the same driving experience and history? It's amazing that they are allowed to get away with it at all, but not surprising, given their position (deemed mandatory in the U.S. for anyone unable to post a $30k bond) and lax regulations in pricing.
What we need is an open database with history and rates open for everyone to see. The ones unlikely to post their information are those with something to hide, so the insurance company would be free to dictate pricing for that sub-market. As for the general population of no-claims drivers, we would be able to put the hurt on the biggest offenders by voting with our wallets.
We can't have things like that in America. They make too much sense.
Another similarity is the DOT spec for headlights, which requires their beam pattern to be poor, and to blind oncoming drivers. The E-code spec used in Europe is far superior, and provides for a cutout that reduces the glare to oncoming drivers, and directs more of the light onto the road ahead. But of course, since we didn't invent it, we can't have it here.
Another one is the aspherical rearview mirrors used in Europe, in the side mirrors. Instead of just being flat, they are slightly convex at the ends, so that you can see vehicles in the blind spot. In America, these are illegal because they might confuse drivers.
...That's three decades of terrorism, with hundreds of people killed in some of those years....
I think you have identified what people in the US have such a hard time grappling with: time scale. For example, the average Joe doesn't realize that approximately 40,000 people die on US road each year yet freaks out over flying in a plane.
On a related note, what is so astonishing is why someone in a random rural town honestly thinks terrorism will come to their doorstep. This is clearly a byproduct of the media and government furthering their own agendas. Whether you like the movie or not, Fahrenheit 911 (and Bowling for Columbine, for that matter), has a great snippet where such a resident displays outright fear that their little crossroad town will be invaded by terrorists. I lived in a first strike nuke zone and on top of a fault line for years and rarely thought about either. Truly mind boggling.
Counting attacks off against each other is a bit pointless. I think the key psychological difference was that 9/11 was completely unexpected.
For the American public, that is; apparently not for the intelligence services.
>There is evidence that the IRA received funding, weapons, and other support from Libya and from the PLO at times in its history.
Birds of a feather... Far more relevant is that the IRA for decaded received a lot of it's funding from Irish-Americans. Just goes to prove that one man's terrorist is (often) another man's freedom fighter.
no taxation without representation!
See how this sort of thing works yet? What will you be unable to do without in 15 years time?
What part of "a well regulated militia" do you not understand?
...a simple freaking linein jack to my stereo system?