ADAS is Crap...

[ruSTynutz]

Not an ANCAP related feature, but something that seems to be becoming more common in new cars...engine stop/start.
This, for those that don't know, works by stopping the engine when you come to a stop at traffic lights and intersections etc then restarts when it's time to move off.

Well, I find it an utter pain in the bum...

How much fuel are you likely to save, a thimble full? There is obviously extra wear and tear on the starter etc for what real benefit.

Manufacturers do give you the option to turn it off but like most ridiculous features these days, they default to on when you restart the engine... 

[Gadget]

Not an ANCAP related feature, but something that seems to be becoming more common in new cars...engine stop/start.
This, for those that don't know, works by stopping the engine when you come to a stop at traffic lights and intersections etc then restarts when it's time to move off.

Well, I find it an utter pain in the bum...

How much fuel are you likely to save, a thimble full? There is obviously extra wear and tear on the starter etc for what real benefit.

Manufacturers do give you the option to turn it off but like most ridiculous features these days, they default to on when you restart the engine... 

Not an issue in my Golf or Tiguan, and the silence is wonderful.

In heavy city traffic, especially congested in the CBD, and on the Motorway, it can save quite a bit, as idling is the least economical.

It is mostly about reducing carbon monoxide poisoning of the people sitting in the stationary cars all sucking in each other's fumes. Carbon monoxide makes people drowsy, which leads to accidents. Cardon monoxide also contributes to smog.

PS. Stop/start engine management is a problem I don't have in my EV.

Pedal up, stop. Pedal down, go (fast).

Sent from my SM-N986B using Tapatalk

[ruSTynutz]

I'm glad you like it, Gadget!
I don't like the slight delay you get while the engine fires back up...

Oh, and speaking of pollution, don't you find it ironic that Volkswagen fit stop start to their cars to reduce pollution
while they criminally installed software to circumvent EPA emissions standards in what became known as "Dieselgate"? 

[ruSTynutz]

Hyundai consider ditching annoying technology

One of Australia’s most popular car makers looks set to give in to popular demand and get rid of it’s in-vehicle technology, even if its safety ratings suffer.

It’s the most common complaint of new car owners: beeping, bonging driver assist systems literally driving us to distraction.

Every new car sold in Australia now features some form of ADAS, or Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.

It can be really useful stuff like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) taking over if a collision is imminent; blind spot monitor (BSM) preventing side-swipes,
and rear cross traffic alert (RCTA) stopping you reversing into moving vehicles.

We like these.

But there’s also less appreciated assistance, ranging from annoying nannying to full Orwellian nightmare.

Cameras monitor the driver’s face and beeps if your eyes stray off the road. Excellent for microsleeps, but in my experience, they can trigger if you’re
operating the touchscreen, or even scold if you’re looking both ways when approaching a junction.

Lane keeping and lane centring (a particularly exasperating development) will pogo the car between white lines as it aggressively tugs the steering wheel.

Like shop sales assistants besieging with “Can I help yous?” ADAS has become a well-intentioned but overly-pestering turn-off.

And turn off is exactly what many drivers do to these systems before each journey.

It’s a faff, but my driving routine has become close door, seat belt on, then dive through menus to disable the speed limit, lane keep and driver attention warnings.

Why? Because I trust my own driving and don’t desire the automotive equivalent of helicopter parenting.

To continue reading, click this link: https://tinyurl.com/2s4cc7nd

[ruSTynutz]

Yet another story on crappy ADAS... 

‘Big Brother’: Deadly new Aus move exposed

Cutting-edge tech designed to save lives could in fact be doing the opposite as Aussies turn away from it in droves.

A new survey shows six in 10 Aussie drivers turn off annoying and nannying driver assist systems in their cars, rendering them useless.

It’s a stark illustration of how Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) such as wheel-tugging lane-keeping assist and beeping
driver monitors are proving intrusive hinderances, rather than the beneficial lifesavers they ought to be.

The survey conducted by Insurance Australia Group (IAG) revealed more than a third of Aussie drivers found ADAS features distracting,
and sometimes made driving more difficult or dangerous.

Alarmingly, from the 2000 drivers who responded, more than two in five (43 per cent) said ADAS had negatively impacted their driving.

Disabling these systems could be seen as putting lives in danger, but to frustrated drivers, poorly calibrated or overly annoying ADAS
is in itself the danger.

The shocking statistics will come as no surprise to Australians mystified by systems that feel more Big Brother than trusted companion.

With such advanced camera, radar and LiDAR-based technology in most modern cars, crashes and the road toll should be plunging.

Yet 2024 saw Australia’s highest road toll since 2012, with 1300 lives lost.

And things are even worse this year, according to the Australian Government’s own road safety data hub.

According to the latest figures available through the 12 months ending September 2025, the road fatality rate is 5.2 per cent higher
than over the same time last year.

There were 990 deaths on Australian roads this year through to the end of September, according to the data/

The survey conducted by IAG, Australia and New Zealand’s largest general insurance company, with brands such as NRMA Insurance
and RACV, previews a year-long study on ADAS by partnering with Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and iMOVE, Australia’s
national centre for transport and mobility research and development.

Beginning in January next year, the field study of 60 drivers at a testing facility seeks to learn how Aussie drivers interact with ADAS,
and how we can better realise its life-saving potential.

The first nut to crack will be why 60 per cent of drivers switch off systems designed to help and protect them.

“ADAS has got to be a good coach and not an annoying schoolmaster,” said IAG Research Centre Head Shawn Ticehurst.

“Not all (ADAS) systems are equal, but I’m really pleased to see a lot of car companies are now saying they’ve got to calibrate their
ADAS for Australian roads.”

This has been a regular complaint of new car owners and motoring journalists alike.

It feels like many assist systems have been added for box-ticking or to meet ANCAP safety protocols, without enough time
spent on ensuring they function effectively on our varied roads.

To continue reading, click this link: https://tinyurl.com/2xyhs7r9

[ruSTynutz]

My experiences with ADAS fitted to my Kia Sportage:

Fortunately I've been able to turn most of the really annoying stuff off in my Kia.
The exception is the Lane Keeping Assist which resets to on every time I fire up the engine.

On our recent travels to WA I did try driving with it enabled while crossing the Nullarbor but it annoyed the crap out of me as
it tried to keep the car centred in the lane whereas I tend to keep more to the left, especially when you have a road train approaching. 

The Driver Attention Warning was mostly pretty much hassle free unless I decided to wear sunglasses.
At one point wearing them resulted in it suggesting I needed to take a break within what felt like 5 minutes after I'd just had one!

Emergency braking while using the adaptive cruise can also be a pain...
For example, there may be a car ahead making a left hand turn. As a driver I can judge that there is no need to brake as the car will
have completed the turn or (at the very least) moved into the turning lane before I get to them but the car will sometimes jump on the brakes
anyhow...very annoying, especially if there are cars behind you!

A couple of features I do like though is the Blind Spot Detection and the Speed Limit indicator.
The speed limit detector works great and seems to be much more reliable than the speed limits indicated in Waze...

[ruSTynutz]

Emergency braking while using the adaptive cruise can also be a pain...
For example, there may be a car ahead making a left hand turn. As a driver I can judge that there is no need to brake as the car will
have completed the turn or (at the very least) moved into the turning lane before I get to them but the car will sometimes jump on the brakes
anyhow...very annoying, especially if there are cars behind you!

There was some choice words used on the drive home last Saturday afternoon from the Toolleen RTE due to the "emergency braking"...

A car ahead of me indicated that he was turning right into a side road...Naturally I eased off the throttle and started to brake, estimating that he
would complete his turn and be well clear before we got anywhere near him.

Imagine our surprise when our vehicle decided that we were in danger of a collision and promptly jumped on the brakes so hard that it felt like
we were about to be ejected out the windscreen!
It even locked up the front brakes momentarily before the ABS kicked in...

There was never any danger of a collision yet this stupid half-arsed system felt the need to kick in...

All I can say is I was thankful no-one was travelling close behind as there would have been a fair chance of them running up our clacker.

This is a perfect example of why I reckon much of the ADAS fitted to cars these days is crap and dangerous...


Yes, I've been playing with ChatGPT...

[Langers]

I agree 100% with you Rusty, about as useful as the new BOM website. We drove up Googs track (out of Ceduna) up a sandy track with many dunes to negotiate. It was NOT handy having the brakes engaging half way up a dune because there was a bit of leafy scrub extending out. I wouldn't mind so much if one could turn it off where necessary but of course mere mortals can't be trusted to make intelligent decisions these days.

[ruSTynutz]

Thanks for the response, Mark! 

[PC]

My Dmax is a single cab so it is just a base model (no other choice in single cab) also being a manual I didn’t get adaptive cruise control or emergency braking  instead of braking it has a red warning light and alarms that go off in those situations when I first got it it would go off at large road signs and like Langers tree branches used to scare the bejeebers out of me at first thinking the it was blowing up until I got used to it  I eventually found in the settings that I could turn down the sensitivity and have not had it go off since I only have emergency alarm that goes off in the passenger seat now that scares the bejeebers out of me (that alarm is hard to ignore and impossible turn off  )
It took a little while to turn off and tweak all that safety crap to make the Ute comfortable to drive the only annoying bit is the ones that reset every time you start the vehicle eg lane assist and lane keep which are the most dangerous systems when towing a caravan it can cause the van to get a sway up by pushing you back towards centre of the lane

[Wild Rose]

My Volkswagen T cross has the front sensors low
When driving through a gutter into a house or out you have to crawl out at tip toe pace otherwise it slams on the brakes
I did ask about turning it off but you have to do it every time you start the car
Which is a pain

[Williamson]

For me, the ADAS on Helen's 2023 Kia Sportage can be annoying, but not for Helen.  The most annoying (for me) is the lane assist, but that's only a matter of holding down a button on the RHS of the steering wheel for a coupla seconds to disable it, each time the engine is re-started.

The other ADAS items I seem to able to live with, perhaps that's because I'm a good driver.

 

[ruSTynutz]

>perhaps that's because I'm a good driver.

Or you drive like an old woman...

[Williamson]

Or you drive like an old woman...

If you mean that I drive like or as good as the wives of the old men on the Forum, I'll take that as a compliment.

[ruSTynutz]

Is Helen looking over your shoulder? 

[ruSTynutz]

ANCAP reboots crash test system
David McCowen

An ‘egregious’ and ‘embarrassing’ issue with Aussie cars is being urgently addressed in order to make the streets safer for everyone.
Our team of motoring experts been saying it for years – that many of the so-called safety features in the latest cars are often annoying and occasionally dangerous.
We’ve taken aim at awful features such as the broken driver monitoring system in Mitsubishi’s Triton, and over-the-top alarms in the Deepal S07 we called “Australia’s most annoying car”.

Both of those models were fixed with running changes as a result of brutally honest feedback from customers and the motoring media.
Car makers have listened to feedback from buyers outraged by crap ergonomics and an over-reliance on touchscreens with brands ranging from VW to Ferrari ditching the frustration of
glossy swipe-to-adjust controls on the steering wheel in favour of plain old buttons.
Good.

Now safety authorities are waking up to a problem they helped create.

Modern cars must have a variety of driver assistance features – stuff like auto emergency braking, lane keeping assistance and driver distraction monitoring – in order to get a five star
safety score from ANCAP, the Australasian New Car Assessment Program.

From next year, ANCAP will go beyond assessing whether such systems are present, or if they work, to examining how they affect drivers.

Systems that are too annoying, frustrating or jerky will lose points, compromising a car’s safety score. Which makes sense, given that many people want to turn these features off every
time they hop in a car.

The safety body’s chief executive, Carla Hoorweg, says “you’ve spoken and we have listened”.

Key changes to the safety process include breaking down scores into four “Stages of Safety”.
The “safe driving” set will encourage car makers to fit easily understood controls to cars and watch occupants to make sure their seatbelts aren’t just plugged in, but are used correctly.
Cars could lose points for having overly complicated touchscreens that make you swipe, tap, scroll and prod to access basic features.

To continue reading, click this link: https://tinyurl.com/yntu68bd

[Williamson]

Don't get me wrong, I don't like and find some of ADAS features annoying, and hope that may be some will be deleted, but ....

.... ‘egregious’ and ‘embarrassing’ .....

A little too emotive for me, and (in my view) an attention grabber, typical of many lournos.

It's fair to say that most of us on the Forum are getting to, or are in, our senior years, don't like change, and often look for something to get outraged about.  Not sure if the journo is getting near the senior category, but he seems easily outraged.

Only a small sample of the younger generation, but my three kids and spouses (with four new model cars between them) all under 50, younger ones I use to work with (20 to 30 year olds, and all late model cars on the work fleet), don't seem to mind the ADAS features.

We need to be careful that we just don't get categorised as grumpy old men.   

[PC]

Yes parts of adas I love  blind spot mirrors are great  having the dash telling me what speed zone we are in is very helpful  having an alarm to indicate approaching vehicles when reversing I find useful
I certainly am not a fan of lane keep ,maybe if it was an alarm and steering wheel vibrate to warn you and it did not steer you back I could certainly work with that

[Shillas]

We need to be careful that we just don't get categorised as grumpy old men.

That might be a little too late for some on the forum     





 

[ruSTynutz]

It's fair to say that most of us on the Forum are getting to, or are in, our senior years, don't like change, and often look for something to get outraged about.  Not sure if the journo is getting near the senior category, but he seems easily outraged.

I don't believe it has anything to do with being old as it appears to be people of all ages complaining about some of these "so called" safety features.

If these "safety features" worked as intended most people wouldn't be turning them off or wanting to be able to turn them off permanently.

When they cut in at inappropriate times, don't always operate as intended or end up just being more of a distraction than a useful driving aid then I'd suggest that as things stand now, some of these aids aren't really fit for purpose.

Perhaps car makers need to pay more attention when it comes to calibrating these features so they actually work as intended instead of just adding them with little thought to get a 5 star rating from ANCAP...

That's my 2 bobs worth...

[Langers]

We need to be careful that we just don't get categorised as grumpy old men.

Eh, I resemble that 

To be honest, I am sick and tired of the Nanny State and its intrusion into my life.  I take responsibility for my actions and cop it sweet if detected being a bit naughty. Because I'm aware of the "attitude test" applied by intelligent, generally older police officers my record is currently blemish free (other than a couple of "warnings").
This mad rush into making vehicles "safer" has got to the point where drivers are no longer in complete control of their vehicles which just dumbs society down further and further - and it's pretty bloody dumb already. Perhaps if the authorities spent a little more time and money repairing roads (I'm looking at you in particular Victoria, but all States are guilty) and a little less time mandating the latest "safety" gizmo into cars we might see a few less road accidents.
And while I'm on my rant, perhaps if our magistrates and judges took into account community expectations when sentencing we might have some of the more dangerous and irresponsible recidivist a/holes off the roads - making it safer for all. I'd be happy to pay more tax if it meant more gaols - rack'em, stack'em and pack'em I say.

Phew, now to finish my packing for my 9 day Vic High Country ride.

[Bodø]

And while I'm on my rant, perhaps if our magistrates and judges took into account community expectations when sentencing

I have to say this really grinds my gears.

[ruSTynutz]

I really like your "rant", Mark! 

[ruSTynutz]

Donald Trump, US EPA, eliminate stop-start car requirement

Donald Trump has banned what he says is one of the most hated features of modern cars in a huge move that could affect the way we drive in Australia.

One of the “most hated” features in cars could disappear from the road following a bold play by US President Donald Trump.
Start-stop systems are designed to save fuel by temporarily stopping engines when cars come to a halt.
The feature has been a fixture in new models for more than a decade, propelled by government incentives to improve fuel consumption.

Click link to continue reading: https://tinyurl.com/8e392kxk

[Marcus]

Advanced driver assistance systems ‘inconsistent and dangerous’ – report

http://tinyurl.com/yeynnxh8

Nothing to add to this apart from you, for someone who likes his privacy, you sure use tinyurl ALOT, It hides the actual URL and people don't know where the link will go, not saying anything, but you could, if you were that way inclined to send link people to really dangerous sites in the internets.

I personally never click on a tinyurl links after being sent to po*n sites, virus sites etc.

Please post the entire link or find another URL shortener which shows the url destination when we hover over it.