i've used autopilot for the last 7 months and its been fantastic. On highway traffic just hit the autopilot and it will keep a lane and speed up and speed down with about 1-2 car lengths perfectly. I pay attention but the simple act of not pressing the gas and brakes or steer actively makes driving a breeze and longer distance traveling completely simple. if i see a hole in the traffic to move ahead of many cars, a simple blip of the accelerator and i'm off with me in control. You really have to use it and experience it to appreciate it. its game changing.

 

I have used it. It’s a game changer alright! Not fun when your car is too stupid to figure out if a semi is in your lane or another at 75 mph & suddenly decides to slam on the brakes! If this technology is so freak’n great, why haven’t these auto gurus updated all the 1.0 systems to 2.0, much like computer systems?? I’m not hearing or seeing any logic in people saying “it works great for me”. That’s like me smoking 3 packs of cigarettes per day & bragging that I don’t have lung cancer.

 

Lol, I guess he was simply anxious because he knew that the driver would "misuse" it. Could also be nerves paired with the sheer excitement of talking about his product.

 

Autopilot is a lot better now than 7 months ago and its improving every time i get an update. It now identifies stop signs and red lights (in the last couple months) and much more situation aware as time goes on. BTW, the newer Model 3s come with HW 3.0 vs. 2.5 which was a big improvement in hardware and the older Model 3s can be retrofitted with 3.0 if they purchase FSD (which I haven't). My point is that these systems are rapidly improving and i see full autonomous within 10 years from now. Imagine road tripping during night as everyone in the car sleeps and waking up at a destination by the time you wake up. Future looks great.

 

to OP, paying attention still has value, but the tech has value too. neither is exclusively foolproof. people without tech are also an 'accident waiting to happen' unfortunately.

 

No complex technology has ever emerged at an already high level of maturity. Progress is incremental, and those that take the risks get the rewards. It takes the efforts of pioneers like Tesla, Comma and others blazing the software and hardware engineering trail and the support of the more forward-thinking customers who are more than willing to embrace these nascent technologies. Sure, it's not for everyone. But this is how progress happens.

 

People without tech are also an accident waiting to happen?! WTH are you smoking? It must be some great stuff! The last time I checked, cars without cell phone connections, cruise control or any other 21st century fad are still driving very safely all across America. I love technology, but some of this tech crap is not ready to pass GO or collect $200. Perhaps if all automakers work together & form standards & common terminology, maybe there will be progress, but this is NOT progress. It’s Honda doing one system & Subaru doing another completely different system & Toyota doing yet another. Sure, you might think it’s great for you to use this technology & arrive after a long trip feeling more refreshed than on previous vehicles, but I guarantee, there is a dumbass that’s using this same technology to zoom down the road, eating an Egg McMuffin, while reading the morning paper & thinking this technology equipment is grand. There is zero provision for personal responsibility. When it comes to “self driving type equipment”, it needs to be treated like a new drug coming to market. There must be thousands upon thousands of clinical hours proving the equipment is safe in nearly all driving conditions WITHOUT the loss of human life. We are nowhere near that right now. We aren’t even on the same track right now.

 

i love adaptive cruise, especially if it can do full stops... i thought it worked quite well in the prius prime, but the 2016 MDX that my parents were leasing at the time genuinely would've killed me multiple times had i not hit the brakes lol

lane keep i never use that's just annoying, if one needs assistance to stay in their lane they have no business operating a vehicle

 

feel better? I suspect not. maybe you should be smoking what you think i'm smoking.

i'm sure there were no 'dumbass' drivers before all this tech, right?

but you're entitled to your rant.

i personally want ZERO 'personal responsibility' in driving. People (in the u.s.) get a permit at 15, a license to drive a deadly weapon at 16, and think they know everything about driving for the rest of their life. Now it everyone was forced to take a HARD driving test, defensive driving courses, accident avoidance class, etc., then maybe i'd feel better about having less tech, but since neither my 'want' and your 'wants' are likely any time soon, i'm glad we have more and more safety tech in cars. And by the way, they DO thousands and thousands of hours of testing on these systems. Besides darwin award winners in teslas using autopilot, how much of the safety and convenience tech out there do you see CAUSING accidents? I grant you, someone head glued to their phone while supposedly driving is a MENACE and should be arrested. That is, until cars can sense the driver doing that and quietly pull over automatically, or shut off the phone.

Wait until there's no phone, just an implant... then we won't even know someone is 'on the phone' until they just crash, but by then cars will be able to handle that situation too.

I learned a long time ago the only 'solution' to limits on tech, is more tech. Complaining that people should take personal responsibility won't get you anywhere.

 

You seem to ignore the argument that tech encourages the irresponsible drivers to be even less responsible and thus cause more harm than good, especially when this tech is in such early stages and clearly not ready for prime time is already being marketed and even mandated in cars.

 

i understand the trend yes, but what do you propose? You can't put the genie back in the bottle, the tech is here, it's heavily marketed and people expect it. So all you can do is keep improving the tech because you're not going to take it away or make drivers better somehow.

 

I do feel better! Actually, we are much closer in thought than you might think. I’m not totally against this new tech, but I am against how it’s being marketed. In a few posts back, I mentioned what I observe while riding my motorcycle. When I bought my first bike, I took the Motorcycle Safety Course & that in turn waived a few red tape items & gave me an insurance discount. About a year later, I took the Advanced Motorcycle Safety Course, where you ride your own bike & demonstrate you have the ability to control your bike in every emergency maneuver. Some folks struggled, but no one crashed, unlike in the basic class. My point is this: there is always an assumed driver responsibility anytime you get behind the wheel. Driving is a privilege in the USA & not a right. With the marketing of these new tech features, everyone is assuming this equipment will save them at their worst moment when they are tired or just not paying attention. What is lane keep assist anyway? Is this for idiots that can’t steer their own vehicle, as another poster mentioned? It’s very dependent on the painted lines on the road. Once you enter a road without lines, has faded lines or a construction zone with jumbled lines, it’s worthless. Every driver is still responsible for keeping their vehicle on their side of the road. Where I live, there is not a month that goes by, where an oilfield worker doesn’t run head-on into another lane & dies. Oilfield workers work long, hard hours & typically commute long distances. Most speed limits are 65 & 75 mph. Even a big ¾ ton pickup is no match for a semi head-on. Would this tech help prevent this? Maybe, but how do you measure this? One thing that Texas is doing, is dividing the highways with barriers to reduce the number of head-on collisions. I’m not convinced that much of this tech will save many lives. It’s presented more along the lines of being pampered & a move towards self driving. I just don’t see self driving becoming mainstream in my lifetime.

We are also seeing automakers making use of the infotainment screen to control everything & Lexus is one of the worst at this in some models. One has to tap & tap & tap, just to get the HVAC fan speed up or down! Never mind changing a station or volume level. That’s distracting a driver, no matter how you slice it. Once this electronic marvel goes belly up, you’ve lost your radio, your back up camera, your HVAC, your navigation & a few other important items. Why? It’s certainly not safer in any way. It’s all about the automaker saving money. Less buttons & ***** equal less manufacturing cost & more profit. This new tech doesn’t always keep us safer, but it sure lines the automaker’s pockets! Has anyone replaced a windshield that contains all the new tech features? If you do, make sure you have glass coverage with no deductible! You’re looking at more than $1500 PLUS calibration costs at a dealer.

I’m not against new tech as a whole. I think ABS brakes & stability control, among many other safety features, are absolute necessities. The average schmuck on the road today doesn’t understand that highway drivers don’t have to stop or move over in order to let them onto the highway from their ramp. Most are blindly ramming their way out, failing to yield & flipping the bird at anyone that inhibits their entrance onto the freeway at top speed. These are the same morons that are playing on their phones while eating cheeseburgers & expecting their tech to take over while they take a break from driving responsibly. All I’m saying is this equipment is not being aimed in the right direction of safety.

 

My problem with adaptive cruise control is the distance required to allow for stopping allows anyone to cut in front of you due to the huge gap. As soon as a vehicle change's into your lane your car will drop back a overly safe distance. In CA traffic this is a real problem.
I will say the emergency braking prevented a collision once for me!

 

Some systems like Autopilot let's you set the gap. I leave it on 1 car length and no one ever gets in front of me.

 

That pretty much explains it, as a motorcycle rider you develop a new mentality and just become a lot more aware. Ever since I started riding a motorcycle and bicycle I became a lot better driver as well, and I despise this new autonomous tech and clueless drivers that rely on it.