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OT what safety features would you look for in a new car?

G

GEO-TH, In

Member
Let's say you could afford a new car or truck? Would you be thinking about safety features like autobraking, side air bags, blind spot alerts, back up alert, ECT?
 
To me a lot of those things like self backing are just ways to dumb down people and in the long run open up ways for new law suits to be filed. Yes they may help at times but what happens if say the car backs it self and hits something then who is sued the car or the driver since the driver was not driving at the time it was the car who was at fault.
 

My new Mazda has all those things and I like them. The auto braking will bring the car to a full stop if needed. It will also just pace the car in front, up to the speed I have preset the cruise for and it will brake as needed to maintain the distance that I can choose from a control on the steering wheel. I will beep if I start to change lanes and something is detected in the blind spot. Works on either side. It will gently try to cortrect if I wander onto the solid white line on the outside edge of the interstate, and that also works for either side.
 
Back up camera - that feature is priceless as a safety item. People usually in too much of a hurry to check whats behind them or can't see little kids or pets.
 
"Breathalyzer that could whiff out a drunk driver 100 yards away"

That may not be too difficult to do!

A while back I heard there is technology already available that can read license plates. If that plate comes back registered to someone with a bad driving history, you would be alerted to keep your distance!

Other technology could also apply to sense a vehicle driving in an unsafe manner, or coming up from behind at an unsafe speed, or moving slower/stopped ahead.

Problem is, it would be constantly alerting to the point of being disregarded!
 
Steve,
The insurance companies already have a sensor that you plug in to your vehicle to monitor your driving, to let them know if you qualify for an insurance "discount". I would say within 10 years, our big brother will require them in all vehicles. It will be a big money and life saver - he can monitor all movements, and use the data to levy road use taxes and citations (as well as discounts..)
Pete
 
(quoted from post at 09:55:12 09/24/18) To me a lot of those things like self backing are just ways to dumb down people and in the long run open up ways for new law suits to be filed. Yes they may help at times but what happens if say the car backs it self and hits something then who is sued the car or the driver since the driver was not driving at the time it was the car who was at fault.
Click to expand...

OK, just how is that dumbing people down? There is a difference between something that requires intelligence and just a skill set. Driving is a skill. Think about it, they taught a chimp to fly a rocket with a couple of lemon drops. That means you can put most humans in a car with a pack of lifesavers and they can figure it out on their own. People who barely pass the US Military ASVAB can enlist to be a truck driver but to be Infantry, Armor, Scout or Artillery they have to score higher overall. So you can be pretty dumb and even drive a truck.

AS far as who is liable? A lot depends. If the operator sees a hazard and the vehicle doesn't react and the operator attempts everything possible to stop the vehicle? The manufacturer, if the car has been properly maintained, will be liable. If the operator was not attentive and failed to try to override the vehicle they will be liable along with the manufacturer, again if the vehicle had been properly maintained.

Self driving cars are coming. Not as fast as people think but they are coming. Mostly because people see on the news that 30-40K people a year die in accidents. How they should present that is as ".001% of the US population dies in auto wrecks every year.

For the OP, side airbags and a backup cam. I have no faith in the auto drive features yet. Let em work the bugs out first.

Rick
 
We just bought a new Subaru Outback, it has Eyesight, senses a vehicle in front, the lane divider lines, and other things, I think we're going to like it. Our old one had all the airbags and daytime running lights, wouldn't buy a vehicle without that.
 
It really doesn't matter much as most of those features are standard equipment in all but stripper cars and trucks these days.

Dean
 
The one safety device that needs the most improving is the driver. The rest is simply trying to protect the driver from either him/herself or a multitude of other incompetent drivers out there. More technology is not necessarily the answer.
Most drivers seem to ignore "YIELD" signs or read them as a signal to cut somebody off. Most drivers do not know when to yield to other traffic. Stop signs are treated as though the were not there in many cases. Speed limits in my area are simply not enforced or poorly enforced at best.
Then there is the matter of manners. I frequently have to get on the interstate to go where I need to go. When I move to the left lane to pass a slow moving vehicle (like a truck on a hill), some jerk in a German or Japanese hotrod will come screaming up behind me blinking their lights because they are in such a hurry to go nowhere.
So, in conclusion, I would like to see better drivers as the safety device I would like on a new car.
 
I was considering a Subaru Outback but the nearest dealer is Indy, I'm in Terre Haute.

Hope all automakers will have Subaru's standard features.
 
I like a back up camera. With the shape of todays cars, types of mirrors they have and now that I am older I can't twist around to see as much as I used to so the camera is handy. I also like the idea of blind spot detection.
 
I agree with Breathalyzer because drunks kill about as many people as speeders.
Don't think FCC would agree with jamming signals.Jamming may cause an Idiot to be more distracted trying to figure why he can't text.

I'm in favor of all cell phones in motion are disabled. Cops can already get a court order to view your cell phone activity if you are in an accident. So your cell phone is like a black box, it can tell on you.
 
NEVER, EVER buy a car, truck, tractor, etc., without a well-established, well-regarded nearby dealer.

Dean
 
I'm not much for extra features,but it will be hard to find a NEW car or truck without all the latest and greatest stuff in it.
I'm not sure what I'd buy ? I really don't like center consoles but everything has them anymore.
I see don't mind driving the ole plain jane 1981 F350 except that 460 loves gas and I'm getting too old to jump up in it ! Oh and the clutch in it is way too hard to push as it was made for a hydraulic setup but I have it on a reliable mechanical step up.
 
I bought a new F250 several months ago. None of the things you mentioned were even a consideration for me although it has a back up camera and stability control.
Give me good tires, good brakes, unobstructed as possible view and mirrors and I'll be happy. I rarely even pay attention to the back up camera screen. I use the mirrors like I have for over 40 years.
 
Dean,
You are right, Dealer is everything when it comes to cars/trucks. That's one reason I don't have a Subaru, Mercedes, VW, or Mazda, nearest dealer Indy. Toyota and Honda Same dealer and I don't trust him. Besides the cars don't fit me, I'm too tall and need to sit up higher.
 
All of those things still does not change the common sense factor needed behind the steering wheel.Then add in weather and all those fancy cameras.Come to wisonsin when there is rain, snow,slop and salt and see how that electronic crap holds up.Lets get back common sense driving,use of mirrors,looking over shoulder checking blind spots,follwing to close and driving according to conditions.Biggest pet peeve is cell phone use in traffic.My rant is over.Scott
 
My car hijacks my phone when I'm driving. I can't text. Car answers phone for me. I like that safety feature. I don't want to figure how to defeat it either.

If it important, I'll pull over to use phone.
 
Insurance stats say Indiana has about 10,000 deer accidents a year. So if you know someone from Indiana good chance they have hit a deer or know someone that has.

You could get very rich inventing a deer repellant for cars.
A deer ran into the side of neighbor's dodge 350 and caved in the bed.
 
I would like to see better drivers that do not tail gate. I stay back from car in front and someone pulls in between us I back off to get space between the new idiot and another idiot fills the spot. Next thing I know I'm back home.
 
Yes all this self backing and other such stuff just dumbs down the person behind the wheel so say they learn to drive In a car that can park it self etc. That person will never learn how to park or back up a car etc. Add all this stuff just makes it so as time goes on people will never learn what they should know. If thing keep going it will get to the point one does not even need a drivers license to drive a car. Bad enough there dumbing down the school now there doing it on the roads
 
Shoot more of them! I tried to get the farmers next to our tree farm to apply for shooting permits to reduce the population, but even though they claim to have lost thousands of $ of beans to deer last year they won't do anything about it!
 
I am unfamiliar with the ?active? safety features we hear about, lane tracking, applying brakes on their own, and so.

As such, I?m kinda concerned about and would avoid those things. I?m not a trusting soul......

My pickup has the tire inflation pressures on the dash, as all new vehicles have. What they didn?t tell us is after 5-8 years, the batteries wear out and you need to replace them, at $90 a wheel. As I tend to own vehicles a long time, I?m kinda miffed that these are considered consumable items and have such a high price tag to replace. Since erratic pressure readings make the dash flash and go all nuts, it?s hard to just ignore them as it is.......

Being around computers since learning to use punch cards, and selling consumer computers for a short period, I?ve watched the quality of programming and upgrades on each version of Windows and even iOS go from pretty good to here?s the new version, screw you we don?t care if it messes up every piece of software you own that?s not our problem....

As such, these increasingly complicated computer controls kinda scare me.

I realize the end goal is for everyone to lease a vehicle as in a driverless Uber - or a taxi cab on speed dial as it were; it will be personal transportation without a driver in urban areas. Then folks can be hauled around and stay on their cell phone texting the entire trip, not be bothered to look up at the road 20% of the time as they do now......

As a farmer with more stuff to haul than just me and a sack of groceries in the low populated long distance rural areas, that model of transportation won?t work well.

I wonder what will happen to us rural folk. When your Uber driverless car fails in the metro area there are several dozen within a mile of you one can be rerouted in 2 minutes. When it?s 20 below out here in the country 20 miles from the next town will Uber pay my funeral expenses at least?

I?ve strayed a lot, but I?m both concerned and bemused at the direction this is going. We are coming a long way from the movie ?American Graffiti? and the goals and aspirations and excitement of the past.

Paul
 
I wouldn't do a thing to the cars.
What I would do is go after the drivers. Make them drive better and smarter or they get a restricted license. Like no freeway driving or no rush hour driving.
I would especially go after worry warts, slow or overly cautious drivers and people who like to talk about accidents and safety all the time.
Like, if you are a natural worrier and want more and more safety devices on cars you can not drive at all. Or maybe require them to hook up to a blood pressure monitor or heart monitor and if the readings go up the car shuts off. A nice feature would be when the car shuts off due to too much angst or useless worry a small dispenser would shoot out a few tissues for them to wipe their tears with.
 
I have had 3 minor collisions my fault and hit 3 deer not my fault. So, give me good tires, make me slow down slightly and pay attention more and keep deer off the roads. I would be 100% safe then. Others, not so sure.
 
Two things. A breathalyzer start and a cell jammer. Breathalyzer for the drunks and the cell jammer to get the eyes on the road and off the phone. I don't know what can be done with bad/stupid drivers. Put em in a special car that won't got over 30mph?
 
2018 cadillac XT5
It is so comfortable and relaxing to drive, if I'm listen to Willie's roadhouse on SXM it will put me to sleep. Perhaps next car will have a sleeping while driving alert.

I'm hooked on all the safety features it has. Once exposed to the safety features, I'll never be without them.

It's a V6. I get around 30 mph going back and forth between my two places.
a280950.jpg
 
Paul,
Her is an old article about a self driving truck driving 120 drive without a driver.

Currently the trucking industry is claiming a lack of truck drivers.

Some are claiming self driving trucks is just the tip of the iceberg. Many jobs will someday be done away with because of technology.
truck makes beer run
 
I call all those supposed to be safty features ANTI safty. Anti lock brakes are ANTI stop and I have about had my left arm broken several times because of them while on the rural newspaper route. Give me a good 1960 Rambler Classic like I had.
 
You are right. Difference is I get about 30 mpg and seating for 5. Enclave is more for a family car. 3 rows of seats.

I was leaning towards replacing my Buick with an Enclave. Local dealer wanted too much. I got my XT5 from a dealer in Indy for the price of the base model Enclave.
 
I'd like dually pickups that pull trailers in the rain to have anti-splash mudflaps!! Trying to pass one yesterday and it was worse than an 18 wheeler!!
 
Our new van has backup camera with 360 view around car. really like that feature,I also like the blind spot alert. The side alerts, when in reverse, also beep when someone (child) darts behind. Have auto braking if I fail to brake. Have played with it. It will stop the car in traffic and restart when traffic moves again. The cruise control will slow to pace the vehicle in front of you and regain its original setting when you apply the turn signal and change lanes to pass. Has lane sense to keep you in your lane, but in our rural areas not much good as road lines are not maintained or just not painted at all. Lots of air bags I hope never needed.
 
absolutly not, the less of that garbage the better.i like to be in control of my unit. unless it was a blonde sitting there instead of them robots.
 
I'm with old on this one, warning devices, no problem, but anything that takes control just goes to make drivers more stupid when they have to drive without all the high tech stuff.
 
Backup camera and sensor. I won't buy another truck without them. I hook up to a trailer of some kind almost every day and the camera makes it a lot easier. But the most important benefit of the camera and sensors has to be watching for our kids and grandkids. There is no way to put a price on that and I'll take all the help I can get. Tony
 
Funny you should mention your Rambler as I was thinking about the one I had.
69 American. 199ci six, three on the tree, no power anything. It still had vacuum wipers though it did have a vacuum pump that was on the mechanical fuel pump. New points every 8K miles were a Must as was setting the dwell and timing.
It was a great car untill the unibody rusted out and I drove it over a rough set of railroad tracks. Then it sagged in the middle and the doors would no longer close.
 
Really,

And what part of antique tractor does this align with.
perhaps better suited to popular science, popular mechanics, consumers reports forums, than some old tractor forum.

for some of us the ability to keep the vehicles running and tagged are much more important personally than pipe dreaming about helping you on your next $100,000 Cadillac.
 
Junk all that crap. Give me a plain old 40's 50's 60's model style vehicle and forget those stupid pesky seatbelts/strangle straps with a 3,4,or5 speed depending on the size of vehicle. Prefer diesel engine with enough balls to get out of it's own shadow.
 

No anti-lock brakes. Air bags I can take or leave but I've gotten hurt by them in the past. I like daytime running lights even though you go through a lot more bulbs. Other than that, I'm pretty good with 1990's safety features.
 
Drove a Subaru with EyeSight, will not buy another vehicle unless it has something similar. While the salesman was showing us how it worked, it prevented us from running into a car turning right in front of us.......I was sold! Now, I wish there was a way to compare the different manufactures systems without putting up with a car salesman.

These systems do not replace an alert driver, but they never blink or take a sip of coffee or take a look at a beautiful view. They are looking at the road 24/7 AND they work. I am not ready for a self-driver, but these systems work!

Bill
 
I call those killer belts. My cousins daughter was killed by one snapping her neck. She was found outside the truck with the marks on her neck where it had broke it and belt was fond latched and intact and pronounced in good woorking condition, now how can that be? This was before computore in parol cars. Her intended, anouther cousin of mine on the other side, had to sign the field report, when it camt tyme to sign the typed report all mention of the investigating officer report of what he personaly witnessed had been removed. When questioned about it responce was we are not allowed to put anything like that in. Would hurt there view that belts are good. At same time on TV news was report of 6 boys out riding in a Caddy convertable with 5 belts. The 5 buckled in were killed, the one that was not they had on the news talking about it. Later the TV station had to deny they ever had him talking about it on air or the facr the 5 were killed. And anouther cousin would have been crushed if he had a belt on fortunatly for hin the car was just old enough it did not have belts. I have said before about the anti-stop brakes about breaking my arm several times And when 3 years ago when to semis sideswiped just ahead of me when I hit the debris my brakes quite for a bit untill they came back working so I was able to get stoped just before hitting the 3rd semi head on. All that stuff should NOT BE ALLOWED. If people would understand the problems the stuff mames they would refuse to buy the vehicals with that crap in.
 
I had a 67 with that 199 engine and could not keep the distributor from turning on its own. Dad had a 63 with the 196 same as my 60 had. Never had point problems. Later both got 77 AMC Hornets and we both had to carry extra ignition moduals and change many a time on the road. The modual failed in my 90 Ford car as wife was driving down bussy highway in left lane. Had a 74 Chevy pickup for years before I found out it had points. Very seldom did points ever make trouble. Garage changed 70 GMC to electronic as was having running problems, was the carb that was a model parts could not be gotten for, Put a different model carb on and all running problems stoped except fuel milage dropped. Years later I found out that it was a Dodge carb on a GMC from factory with several expermital items on it as it was used as a service truck for Cadillac dealer till they went bankrupt and it got away from GM that it was not supposed to.
 
If I could get a new car or truck with the least amount of electronic garbage on it would be nice. I like the push pull levers and knobs to control stuff and hand crank windows.
 
(quoted from post at 11:56:18 09/25/18) I call those killer belts.
Click to expand...

With all due respect, my father and sister were both killed in different car wrecks due to not having a belt on. I've investigated, literally, hundreds of car accidents where the belt kept people from getting hurt or killed. Yes, there are those outliers that are beyond the norm, but there are drunks that can walk a straight line too. We're talking a tiny percentage.

There is no reasonable argument against seat belts or car seats or helmets on motorcycles. None. Zip. Nada.
 
I've commuted 60 miles a day, round trip, on I80 for almost 30 years. I've done it in 10 different vehicles of various size and make. I'm convinced there's no alternative to long wheel base and a truck like suspension for dealing with failing infrastructure and having some steel around you in case of an accident. Quiet is important to me. Good tires are important. Antilock brakes are a given, I dont mind them, though it took awhile to learn just to keep my foot in the brake and let them do their thing. Never been in an accident where the airbags came into play, was in one low speed in icy conditions where they went off and I wished they hadn't. Broken glasses and a black eye for no gain. Everything else I'd consider gravy, but did just drive a Mazda CX5 with adaptive cruise, blind spot warning, and lane veer warning. Pretty cool and not obnoxious. I think I could get addicted to the adaptive cruise, but wonder if a deer jumping out in front, or the like, would cause it to freak out in a way I wouldn't like.
 
Brett. I read that drunks, speeders, and
not wearing seat belts are responding for
about the same of deaths each year.

Sorry for your loss
 
You sound bitter. Are you having trouble finding something nice to say?

I think this goes along with safety, savings life's. Just like safety devices on tractors.
 
No gadgets, I would worry about finding a mechanic that could actually work on it. I've met several that admit the new cars can't be worked on.
 
Most of the safety features you find on new vehicles are either .gov mandated or for the newest features they have future mandates or probably will be. Many of the "features" on modern vehicles were not there yesterday, some may seem obvious, or convenient but at one time they were brought about because of safety.

If we go back to "yesterday's vehicles" would be talking about seat belts, 3 point belts, laminated glass, safety glass, exterior/brake lights, turn signal lamps, padded dashboards, hydraulic brakes, dual circuit brakes, disc brakes, headrests, crumple zones, energy absorbing bumpers and zones, safety latches on doors, collapsible steering columns. Many more things are on vehicles to make them safer, and I'm sure many people think they are still not needed, or at least not needed at the time they came out.
 
The worst thing is when they hide the fact that the so called safty features actually caused the problem. That is what they did with my cousin. Give us the correct facts and let us made the desision instead of being mandated to have something that makes us feel in danger. And a lot of those salled safty features will not work out in the real world.
 
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