Ready for a Self-driving?
Evidently, according to reports, only a very few drivers are ready for a self driving car.
In a recent newscast from Automotive News, Bloomberg was cited as a source saying that one half to three quarters of all drivers do not want a self-driving car. Parts supplier Robert Bosch stated that drivers will need to be persuaded. They 
noted that we all have experience with computers crashing, phone apps misbehaving, and there is understandable alarm at the thought of software being in control of our cars. We’ve been saying this for a while now…
But these statements, and those of Automotive News commentator Krishnan Anantharaman, fail to truly grasp the real disconnect between drivers and technology. He stated that driver behavior says that they do want self-driving technology – on everyone else’s cars, since we all overstate our own abilities behind the wheel and yet continue to cause accidents. He’s absolutely right about this. But these folks themselves exhibit a real disconnect from drivers as well as another set of their behaviors.
The Tech We Want
In the showroom, driver’s want automatic braking. They want blind spot monitoring. They want sensors to help them park and back up cameras with collision warning, etc., etc., etc.
These shoppers simply don’t recognize that these are all technological elements that lead directly to cars driving themselves. They don’t eat, breath and sleep cars and technology – we do.
As has been the case for at least a decade, technology continues to advance faster than driver’s can assimilate. Not because they are stupid, lazy or out of touch. But simply because they have full, busy lives that leave little time to learn what auto manufacturers take for granted their customers will take the time to learn.
Once the industry grasps this, it will have a far easier time moving its customers to self-driving cars. They will be free to focus on what’s necessary in their lives and not what they are told is necessary by their car’s manufacturer.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY
A Plea to NHTSA to Simplify Nomenclature
Simplify, Simplify, Simplify!
On February 14, 2018, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Deputy Administrator Heidi King testified before the House Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee on Energy and Commerce. Among the topics was NHTSA’s goal of safe testing and deployment of Automated Driving Systems, and in the question and answer session noted that a simplification of the language used in describing the systems to the public would be a part of this goal.
Ms. King sees potential danger in the use or misuse of automated systems and she is absolutely right. Before we can all let go of the steering wheel or rely on a car to stop on its own when necessary there has to be absolute clarity that vehicle’s systems are actually capable.
Here, we have advocated for simplification from the start as it relates to advanced systems being introduced today. And to be clear, these same systems are the stepping stones to automation. And the buying public is already confused.
Why Drivers Are Confused
On our website, we host well over 400 warning lights and tell tales mostly from vehicles sold in North America. They include symbols for 16 different Stability Control Systems. Actually, its mostly the names that are different. Wikipedia adds another four in their worldwide list. These lists including two that are named for the actual manufacturer, as if this somehow adds weight. We also host four different names for Active Cruise Control, five more for Collision Warning Systems, three for Blind Spot Monitoring, and so on.
To be sure, there can be and sometimes are good reasons for using distinct names for a given, system, since there may be variations in operation and system integration from one manufacturer to another. However, there are also indications that naming is done simply to stand out. One manufacturer calls its blind spot monitoring a BLind spot Information System so that the acronym can be BLIS!
SO NHTSA and Ms. King if you are listening, for the sake of the driving or riding public please do continue to work to simplify the nomenclature. And please, if you can extend the concept to the current crop of cars and trucks, the driving public will appreciate the effort. After all, stability control is stability control, lane departure systems are lane departure systems, etc. The average driver will never be aware of details beyond this, nor will they need them if they all perform to the same standards.
——————————————————————-
Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY