In-Car Technology Becoming More Important Than Horsepower

Gunkerty Jeb writes "It seems, and I think a lot of people have prophesied this for some time, that in-car features like internet radio and assisted driving technologies are surpassing horsepower, handling and design as automotive selling points. I just hope manufacturers have put in the time to consider all the security dangers that exist in owning internet synthesized cars."

Comments

Assisted driving tech saves lives

[plover]

And what's wrong with assisted driving technology? It saves lives!

The technology that assists the driver of a modern car drive it safely is amazing. Radar assisted cruise control helps avoid driver frustration because their speed doesn't match the speed of the car ahead of them. Blind spot systems that watch the corners of your vehicle you can't see out the windows and in the mirrors. Backup cameras to avoid running over your children in the driveway. Collision avoidance warning indicators flash a simple red light bar and sound a tone to startle the driver in the event of an impending collision. Head up displays help to keep eyes on the road. Traction control helps avoids spinouts. Stability control helps avoid rollovers. Antilock brakes help stop shorter and quicker. Pre-charged brakes help stop suddenly if the driver isn't assertive enough when attempting to avoid a collision. Voice control to operate the technology without removing your hands from the wheel or eyes from the road.

And then there are the tech features designed to improve survivability of an accident. Pretensioning seat belts. Adaptive airbags. Autodialing 911.

All those mean much more to Soccermom Sally than the difference between 225HP and 235HP. Yes, the gearheads want their superchargers, and they're available too. But the market sells to everyone, not just the Top Gear enthusiasts. And a lot more paying customers value safety and comfort over raw horsepower numbers.

Re:Assisted driving tech saves lives

[NevarMore]

And what's wrong with assisted driving technology? It saves lives!

It creates a false sense of security and far too many drivers see it as an absolution of responsibility.

Unintended acceleration - fault of the car, what about the driver shutting the car down or putting it in neutral or using the parking brake (gently!) ?
4-wheel drive - I see this once every winter. Some yob with all wheel drive blows past me, then promptly loses traction on all 4 wheels at a higher speed and needs to be fished out of the ditch
ABS - Better braking is good. Leaving more room and braking sooner is better still.
traction control - see 4-wheel drive
On Star - For not emergency situations having a basic toolkit, first aid kit, and enough water and blankets to survive a few hours would beat the hell out of OnStar. I do actually like this once the shit has hit the fans. Treat it like a fire alarm not a personal assistant IMO.
tire pressure sensors - Check your damned tires when you get fuel. It gets you close to your car and during that process you may spot a problem that doesn't have a sensor watching for it.

Applying power is also an acceptable response to some situations. Accident avoidance when there are cars behind you can actually be helped by a quick application of power to move the car out of the way and free up an extra few feet for other drivers to stop. Applying power and avoiding is acceptable if braking is not an option. Being able to promptly accelerate and merge instead of having traffic stack up behind on an onramp is also helpful.

I agree that technology can help and is generally beneficial, its the attitudes around its use that bother me. Its an asset or a tool not a replacement for personal responsibility when operating heavy machinery.

Re:Assisted driving tech saves lives

[radish]

ABS is useful for more than avoiding rear-ending the guy in front. It's useful when you need to stop at a red light and the ground is slippery, it's useful when a kid runs out in front of you, it's useful when you hit a patch of black ice coming into to a turn. I don't understand the attitude that says "this isn't a 100% foolproof solution to the problem, therefore it is of zero value", but this is slashdot and it's pretty common around here.

Re:Assisted driving tech saves lives

[icebike]

Statistics don't bear that out. We're still having roughly the same number of wrecks as we always did, and roughly the same number of fatalities.

No. Not true.

In spite of millions and millions of more miles driven every year accident rates and fatalities are down.

But the key point is they have been falling ever since these stats have been kept. The new gadgetized car technology is too new to show any measurable effect.

Re:Priorities

[larshoff]

I spend 2 hours a day in my car getting to and from work, thats a significant time of my life and I sure like it to be a nice place to be.