Crash proof car?

[ws23rt]

I saw an ad recently where a crash test car stopped short of the wall because of on board sensors.

Is this a good sales ad?

This topic has been discussed before but my thoughts are with the new drivers getting used to the car picking up the slack of paying attention.

The value of this tec. is clear but until all cars can do this I see many wrecks happening with the defense being---I thought the car would stop---

Are we trying to build cars that will allow texting/lack of attention?

[daveco]

Crash Proof -or- Not Crashable?
No such thing as either one. Just a thin disguise to justify restricting personal freedoms.

[Mike DC]

                              
I think the future will be crash-avoiding cars built with a whole lot less structure & safety gear than they are now.  Better mileage. 

But that amount of change will ultimately take decades to happen.  

[westcoastdodge]

not to far away me thinks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIJeqD3Ax40

[Ghoste]

I wonder if insurance rates will go down?  I'm sure they will.

[Mike DC]

Right now it's only do-able if the car has a detailed 3d map of the trip.  Even with info advancements in the future it seems like a helluva lot of data for a car to know the whole country/etc.  Maybe the car could be downloading it on the fly, I dunno.

The earlier stages of it might have people saving a specific common trip into the car's brain, like their daily commute.  But they would need to drive a less familiar trip manually. 



The insurance liability crap involved in this stuff would be amazing.  That would be a HUGE roadblock for this stuff ever becoming commonplace. 

Of course the industry will probably claim that their car is developed too well for that.  It has driven a zillion miles without causing any accidents in testing, etc.  (And their car's throttle couldn't possibly be flooring itself and getting people killed either.)

[Ghoste]

And as soon as one does crash the lawyers will descend like flies on hot turds.

[myk]

Saw a parent-friendly ad for the Hyundai Genesis sedan that featured a witless teenage driver narrowly avoiding death because he couldn't help gawking at the tent-popping blond walking down the street, the Fast & Furious-like car that cut in front of him, etc, etc, all narrowly avoided thanks to Hyundai's collision control systems.  I think nanny controls and their intentions are great, but what we're fostering is a lack of responsibility and skill with every succeeding generations of drivers.  What happens when the nanny systems fail?  What if someone else has the Hyunday Genesis with the nanny controls and the witless teenager takes the ancient Dodge Charger out for a spin with his friends instead?  In the quest for an easy society where no one has ANY responsibilities whatsoever, we start to lose sight of our own culpability and the skills required to not only function properly but to stay alive as well.  Finally, dare I say there's survival of the fittest to mention?  Tent-popping girls and Fast & Furious cars cut in front of us and distract us all of the time, but I can bet that most of us here wouldn't be taken out by these distractions.  If someone needs electronics and techno-wizardry to avoid such dangers then maybe they shouldn't be driving at all...

[Aero426]

I wonder if insurance rates will go down?  I'm sure they will.

Bet they won't go down.   But the rates for non-preferred cars will go up.    Sort of like the E15 gas.   E10 will still be available.  It will just "cost a little more".

[Mike DC]

 

All this stuff happens because of the general US attitude that cars should be driven everywhere by everyone all the time.  If they were not quite as crucial to daily life then we could be pickier about who gets the right to drive.

[myk]

Lots a folks out there have NOT earned their licenses. The DMV passes those things out like candy...