00:00i think elon musk realized the only way he's ever going to be safely driven an autonomous car without
00:05some idiot t-boning him at a junction is making all cars around him autonomous for the same reason
00:10other car makers seem less optimistic about driverless cars and what about the customers
00:15expecting affordable vehicles which according to eu regulations must be equipped with advanced
00:20driver aid systems or adas which in some circumstances take control over the vehicle
00:26this is going to be a rant but i also count on your thoughts so let's go
00:45i'll start by asking you what are the most modern driver aids which you interact with on daily basis
00:50in cars which you drive what are the makes and models which model year and when you switch
00:56between cars do you notice any difference in how these systems work do they impact your driving
01:02style let me know in the comment section below now in my line of work i experienced various new features
01:09in cars from all manufacturers when i started my career as an automotive journalist i was familiar
01:14only with abs my private car at the time was a peugeot 306 it was available in two versions husky
01:20with abs
01:21and san tropez with ac i had the latter one however as an intern i got to drive a company
01:27renault megan
01:28which had abs and being a young driver with a lot of zeal but not necessarily a lot of skill
01:33i quickly
01:34learned abs lets me step on the brake and maintain maneuverability something that cost me both front tires
01:41in the 306 and the family in an oncoming car probably a heart attack for which i sincerely apologize
01:48but i was young and stupid anyway over the years i got to experience more new features both on public
01:55roads and on tracks esp when driving through water puddles felt extraordinary to a young driver used to
02:02being pulled side to side and aqua planning just to remind you esp became mandatory on new cars in europe
02:08only in late 2014 so barely a decade ago press cars are usually equipped with all the newest tech so
02:17i was able to experience new safety features way earlier than regular drivers these included things
02:23like front collision warning blind spot monitoring adaptive cruise control lane keeping assist these
02:28features usually enhanced regular driving experience i'm talking about your everyday commute on congested roads
02:33when you're stressed distracted tired when programmed and implemented correctly these systems can save us
02:42a lot of time and worries however these were usually reserved for premium brands or as optional equipment
02:49in top trim of mass market cars i recall some features being available in mercedes and ford however chances
02:55that an average ford customer might experience these driver aids were slim nobody wants expensive options
03:01especially if they don't understand the benefit they offer i suspect elon musk took advantage of this lack of
03:07interest and understanding when he was presenting the autopilot
03:10perhaps if you were a young startupper driving your parents old camry this felt like rocket science but automotive
03:17journalists didn't see what the fuss was all about i mean they've all driven cars that had similar stuff
03:22but so far everything was going more or less in the right direction the most advanced features were optional usually
03:28very expensive
03:29but also very well calibrated especially on european cars
03:33when describing these features i often say well calibrated system works with me not against me
03:38of course within certain parameters and i understand it was easier for me because i experienced these features
03:45incrementally as they appeared in various new models every couple of months i'm certain
03:49they have impacted my driving style and made me a better and more aware and safer driver
03:55on the other hand customers switching cars every few years complained some of the new features were too
04:01aggressive in their opinion now in some regions tailgating is a normal part of everyday driving and
04:07that can upset the front collision warning system from a driver's perspective there is still a lot of
04:12place in front but the system is calibrated to avoid what is objectively a dangerous behavior
04:18with age and experience i became a calmer driver i get a chance to drive some really powerful and fast
04:25cars but i know better than to overtake in places where your average sales rep in a one liter turbo
04:30overtakes blind i understand accelerating is only half of the story when shitheads the fan
04:34you also have to stop and these new cars are getting heavier perhaps a dangerously high number of drivers
04:42believe they have some supernatural powers or luck or nine lives like a cat because the regulators keep
04:47tightening the safety regulations and spoil it for the rest of us i won't pretend i always drive
04:53sticking to the rules of the road although owning two relatively recognizable cars and quite frequent
04:58meetings with fans on the streets make me overly cautious i hope i'll never end up in the same league
05:04as those tabloid celebrities parking in disabled spots and posting pictures of speeding however even the
05:10middle-aged experienced me is beginning to feel road safety is becoming too much of a numbers game
05:15sure every life we can save thanks to safer cars carries value to the family which you cannot put a
05:21price on as well as calculated monetary value to the economy same with accident victims who are taken
05:29out of the labor market for a while or for their entire lives until recently most driver aids which i
05:37experienced made me a better and safer driver unfortunately making advanced safety features
05:41mandatory for brands and models which weren't ready for it means two things higher price and poor
05:47implementation this is one of the reasons why some models are simply pulled from the market the costs
05:53associated with making them compliant with new safety regulations make the cars too expensive and
05:58clients wouldn't buy them anyway and then there's implementation i recently test drove a kia sportage where
06:04the collision mitigating system would apply full brakes in stop and go traffic only changing the
06:10reaction time to late made the car drivable otherwise sooner or later i'd get re-rended i encountered a
06:17similar issue in the new vw tiguan but during overtaking now i'll admit this was an aggressive maneuver but
06:22not justifying full-on emergency braking in front of the car i just overtook or the suzuki swift where
06:27the front collision warning system goes off almost every time a car in traffic starts slowing down
06:32and then there is isa or the not so intelligent speed assist which emits an audible warning every
06:38time you exceed the speed limit in the past the only warning would be the flashing speed icon on the
06:44screen which many drivers ignored so the regulators added other warnings but car makers chose the beeper
06:50why they could have chosen vibration or haptic feedback on the accelerator i recalled the latter from
06:55an audi a decade ago over there the efficiency assistant pushed back on the gas pedal as i approached the
07:02junction however these are more complex and more expensive solutions than a cheap beeper which
07:08the customers now have to turn off every time they start the car warnings are based on the speed sign
07:13recognition system and satnav data both of which are only moderately accurate so isa is more of a
07:18distraction than help also the new versions of the lane keeping assist seem less than perfect they either
07:25react too late or too early but most of all they're too abrupt which in some situations can upset the
07:31car
07:31and cause more trouble especially for an inexperienced driver now i don't want to sound like an old fart
07:38but leave some decision making to the driver who ultimately is responsible for driving a car not a
07:43computer i recall a dozen years ago or so one of the premium brands forecasted fully autonomous cars by 2025
07:49today we know it's more complicated because even the best programmed computer has to face an
07:55unpredictable driver especially one driving a car with the new generation driver aids systems
08:00programmed by someone who's never driven a car because they prefer bicycles and public transport
08:06there are still brands which haven't made their cars drive like complete piles of junk because they
08:12remember who their customers are drivers not accounting systems however these brands are a minority and
08:18usually an expensive one and that's bad news for the customers who'd like to vote with their wallets
08:23or maybe the customers don't care and will buy anything as long as it's cheap maybe it's just my
08:28first world problems what do you think let me know in the comment section below
08:35if you like my sarcastic down-to-earth and possibly mildly amusing car reviews join me every friday 3 pm
08:42central european time and don't forget to subscribe and like this video
08:46as it helps me with the youtube algorithm thanks for watching and i will see you in the next one
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