Slate not likely to be a top safety pick by Consumer Reports (due to lack of BSW)

[Doctors Do Little]

Those of us who drive during rush hour and deal with aggressive drivers on a daily basis definitely appreciate BSW. What I particularly like is that the rear facing radar judges the speed of the vehicles behind you and generates audible and visual warnings. It's saved me quite a few times and I consider the technology very effective. Yes, I set my mirrors properly to avoid blind spots and no, I don't rely on the warnings exclusively. I always look before changing lanes.

These days, driving on congested highways and city streets days is very demanding; we can all use the extra assistance.

You speak as if you've been hit in Atlanta traffic!

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I have a concern that in 20 years young people that learn to drive relying on all this tech won’t have a clue how to react when it fails.

Defensive driving is a thing...gotta watch out for the youngsters and dumbsters.

 

[KevinRS]

The blind spot that warning systems are at a minimum about is that area you have to look over your shoulder to see. With mirrors properly adjusted those should be the only ones. One issue even for safe drivers is when something happens like: on the highway, you check over your shoulder after signaling, it's clear, and someone abruptly moves into your blind spot from a 3rd lane without signaling when you start changing lanes. In that situation BSW can help anyone.

 

[Daemoch]

I hate all the tech solutions being rolled out to account for the driver's bad habits. It's not like it makes you a better driver, it just makes it less obvious to the rest of us.

Ive had various versions of BSW on cars and Ive turned them all off. I dont need my seat to vibrate, the wheel to nudge me, or a dummy light to flash in my face. TBH, I find those more distracting than helpful. The seat and steering wheel were straight up counterproductive and dangerous.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

I hate all the tech solutions being rolled out to account for the driver's bad habits. It's not like it makes you a better driver, it just makes it less obvious to the rest of us.

Ive had various versions of BSW on cars and Ive turned them all off. I dont need my seat to vibrate, the wheel to nudge me, or a dummy light to flash in my face. TBH, I find those more distracting than helpful. The seat and steering wheel were straight up counterproductive and dangerous.

I like the yellow light in the mirrors, however. They are only obvious to me if I'm planning a turn and am looking that way anyway. The other various vibrations/gyrations are a bit much.

Ex: The hands free Blue Cruise on the Lightning is crazy. It's cool to eat a sandwich or a drink with both hands while the truck hurls you down the interstate at 70mph, but it is watching your eyes and will start the robo-squawking if it thinks you are not watching the road (or your 96-oz Slurpie blocks your eyes?) for more than a few seconds. Sure, these features can be disabled, but depending on where you are driving, they are reduced to parlor tricks in the face of dangerous (youngster/dumbster) opponents on the road.

 

[Letas]

I hate all the tech solutions being rolled out to account for the driver's bad habits. It's not like it makes you a better driver, it just makes it less obvious to the rest of us.

Ive had various versions of BSW on cars and Ive turned them all off. I dont need my seat to vibrate, the wheel to nudge me, or a dummy light to flash in my face. TBH, I find those more distracting than helpful. The seat and steering wheel were straight up counterproductive and dangerous.

Replying to just this one - but this is for the broader audience. Driving is getting inherently safer over the last 50 years, even more so when you look at accidents per mile traveled. Every single driver thinks every other driver is stupid, and they are the exception, and that is just a silly mindset to get into. It is impossible to deny (with critical thinking skills) that tech is not making driving safer.

Frankly, I don't care if drivers get worse, if traveling on the roadways get safer. If I had it my way, I would snap my fingers and arrive at my destination, I don't care how I get there.

 

[Letas]

I have a concern that in 20 years young people that learn to drive relying on all this tech won’t have a clue how to react when it fails.

"Those automobiles will break, kids need to learn how to drive a horse and buggy for when it happens" - some dad in 1922, probably

 

[Daemoch]

Frankly, I don't care if drivers get worse, if traveling on the roadways get safer. If I had it my way, I would snap my fingers and arrive at my destination, I don't care how I get there.

Cant argue that logic!

I'd love it if cars were just a thing to use for fun, like a surf board. :/

 

[atreis]

I have a concern that in 20 years young people that learn to drive relying on all this tech won’t have a clue how to react when it fails.

Same as it ever was... Most people today don't know how to drive a manual shift or how to pump their brakes on a car without ABS.

 

[Daemoch]

"Those automobiles will break, kids need to learn how to drive a horse and buggy for when it happens" - some dad in 1922, probably

hahahaha! For sure! Several Dads I'd expect!

I'd be concerned too, except..... if the 'tech breaks, it's all 'By-Wire' these days. Drive by wire, brake by wire, accelerate by wire. Your paddle shifters, gear selector, clutch or whatever are effectively all pots and buttons connected to servos. I could swap out your entire drive control with an Xbox controller. If the tech breaks, it wont matter if you know how to downshift, spin the wheel in or out of the spinout, or pump the brakes until the cows come home - none of its actually connected!

 

[brian10x]

I refuse to buy a Slate unless it has a heartbeat sensor. Can't be to careful. Someone could be hiding under the seat.

1. Volvo Heartbeat Sensor
In the rough and tumble world of Swedish corporate politics, apparently the single greatest threat to the safety of executives who could afford to buy Volvo's S80 flagship sedan was kidnapping. We say this because for most of that model's run it could be purchased with the Personal Car Communicator, which was an oversized key fob linked to a heartbeat sensor in the vehicle that would remotely warn you if someone was hiding in your back seat as you walked up to it at the end of the day.

 

[brian10x]

I refuse to buy a Slate unless it has a heartbeat sensor. Can't be to careful. Someone could be hiding under the seat.

1. Volvo Heartbeat Sensor
In the rough and tumble world of Swedish corporate politics, apparently the single greatest threat to the safety of executives who could afford to buy Volvo's S80 flagship sedan was kidnapping. We say this because for most of that model's run it could be purchased with the Personal Car Communicator, which was an oversized key fob linked to a heartbeat sensor in the vehicle that would remotely warn you if someone was hiding in your back seat as you walked up to it at the end of the day.

Or pedestrian airbags.

2. Pedestrian Airbags
Airbags keep drivers and passengers safe inside a car, so why not use the same concept to protect pedestrians facing down the steel-encased outside of a vehicle, too? So goes the logic behind pedestrian airbags, a technology pursued by a number of European brands but never put into production.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

"Those automobiles will break, kids need to learn how to drive a horse and buggy for when it happens" - some dad in 1922, probably

Thats awesome. My dad was born in 1922 and was a mechanic after the war…he has seen all modern engines in his 103 years (so far!).

 

[E90400K]

Cant argue that logic!

I'd love it if cars were just a thing to use for fun, like a surf board. :/

That's how I've always looked at cars. Getting someplace is just a bonus.

 

[E90400K]

I'll just add. The folks who review cars at Consumer Reports need blind spot warning technology. Just sayin'