Todays Drivers Dependent On Electronic Aid

[Alastor]

Originally Posted by www.timesonline.co.uk

Driving

Now try it without ABS, EBD, ESP, EBA ...
Many drivers are blithely unaware of the hi-tech safety devices fitted to modern cars that silently keep them from danger. We put four volunteers in a 1990 car to see what happens when you take them away. James Luckhurst and Emma Smith of The Sunday Times stood well back

Our guinea pigs Simon Chester, Eleanor Ball, Ceri Jones and Jean Curran prepare to forsake their new cars for a taste of old technology (Simon Stuart-Miller)

Twenty-first century cars come with an armoury of safety systems, from ABS (antilock braking) to Sips (side impact protection system), ESP (electronic stability program) and the dangerous-sounding Whips (whiplash protection system). Nonetheless, fewer than 30% of those questioned in a recent survey by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders had heard of ABS, even though it is now standard on all new mass-produced cars. Only 5% were versed in the benefits of ESP. Drivers increasingly take for granted that their car will meet high standards of safety.

A campaign by European governments and competition between manufacturers have led to a steady increase in the number of gadgets and systems to warn drivers of dangers and prevent them losing control of their vehicles. Recent innovations include lane departure warning systems, blind spot protection, which issues a visual or audible warning when an object enters the driver’s blind spot, and brakes that are applied automatically if sensors tell the car it is in danger of colliding with an object ahead.

But as cars get better at keeping out of trouble some experts worry drivers are getting worse — cocooned from danger, unaware how fast they are going or how slippery the road is, and less aware of other vehicles. The Sunday Times decided to put four motorists to the test to see how they would cope in a car with no “active” safety features at all. With an expert sitting alongside them we would assess how well they reacted to hazards and difficult conditions without the unseen protection of a battery of electronic guardian angels.

Our guinea pigs were Jean Curran, 60, a social worker and Skoda Fabia driver from Wargrave, Berkshire; Ceri Jones, 57, a dentist and Volvo V70 owner from Cardiff; Simon Chester, 30, a Subaru Impreza owner and buyer for Pizza Express, from East Yorkshire; and Eleanor Ball, 30, a supply chain manager for Dixons and owner of a Honda S2000 sports car, who is also from East Yorkshire.

To test their skills we brought along a 15-year-old BMW 3-series devoid of every modern safety feature and met them at the Transport Research Laboratory in Crowthorne, Berkshire, to put them — and the cars — to the test. Here are the results.

TEST 1: BRAKING

Before ABS, drivers were taught the technique of “cadence braking” — applying and releasing pressure on the brake pedal to prevent the wheels from locking. Would our drivers be able to manage it? Graham Griffiths of Ultimate Car Control (www.ultimatecarcontrol.com), an advanced driver training school based in Crowthorne, was our expert. He used traffic cones to simulate three lanes of a motorway, with one stationary vehicle in the middle lane. As the drivers travelled towards the obstacle at 50mph they had to imagine a car ahead had stopped suddenly and, on Griffiths’s command, they were to swerve into the left or right-hand lane, braking at the same time to avoid slamming into any other vehicle.

Each of our four drivers began by completing the test in the car they usually drive, all of which were fitted with ABS systems. Once they were familiar with the test we put them behind the wheel of the older BMW. First to take the challenge was Curran. She admitted she thought ABS was “something like an Asbo” and had no idea that it enabled her to stop under hard braking without the wheels locking.

She may not have known what ABS was but she missed it when it wasn’t there. Griffiths had added a little water to the surface to reduce grip and the results were predictable. The wheels locked and Curran could no longer steer the car out of danger. The BMW ploughed straight on into the cones, leaving a trail of rubber tyre marks.

The other drivers didn’t fare much better. Before the test Chester and Ball had confidently rated their driving ability as 9 out of 10 and 8 out of 10 respectively. But even these self-confessed petrolheads were unable to control their cars without the aid of ABS. Had this been a real-life situation on a busy motorway, they would have ploughed into other traffic and probably caused a multiple pile-up.

TEST 2: STEERING

This test was designed to show the effectiveness of a whole variety of innovative stability features. Ball’s Honda S2000, for example, comes with an aluminium x-bone frame, which links the wheels diagonally to increase rigidity, as well as torque-sensing limited slip differential (LSD), which will automatically reduce torque if it senses the car is about to skid.

Chester’s Impreza is four-wheel drive and also has LSD to make sure power is divided equally between each side of the vehicle and again stop skidding. Its yaw sensors prevent the car sliding from side to side and counteract over or understeer on sharp bends.

Jones’s V70 has the most advanced system. It comes with DSTC — a dynamic stability and traction control system — to ensure it maintains grip on the road and the driver remains in control, even on wet surfaces or around sharp bends. If one or both driven wheels start to spin, torque is reduced until they regain their grip. The system also increases stability around bends and reduces understeer when pulling out of them and counteracts skidding before it starts by constantly comparing the direction of the car with the steering wheel movements. If there is any tendency to slide, the brakes are instantly applied to one or more wheels as necessary to retain control.

For this test, Griffiths laid out a line of cones for a simple slalom. The drivers were told to drive as fast as they dared through the five cones, turn around and come back. In the new cars, all the drivers found the task relatively straightforward. The cars gripped the road as they weaved through the slalom.

But when trying to repeat the test in the old BMW the drivers all ran into trouble. They swung about wildly and Chester was soon heading into a 360-degree spin. The others just managed to keep control of the car but only by creeping round the cones at a snail’s pace. “The BMW was completely raw,” said a shaken Chester, after the test. “It was impossible to keep in line. It was like driving a bus.”

THE VERDICT

After four hours of driving, our volunteers were surprised at just how much they relied on modern safety systems and certainly left Crowthorne with no desire to return to the good old days of 1990.

Even allowing for the fact that the BMW’s technology was 15 years out of date Griffiths was shocked by our drivers’ lack of safety awareness. “This just goes to show that the boffins can come up with new safety ideas and the marketing men can sell them to buyers but the truth is that most drivers don’t understand them or how to drive to make the most of them,” he said.

“This test also showed how far car design has come. Modern cars not only have stability and traction control, they also have better tyres, better suspension and overall dynamics. Technology has moved on and drivers have been left behind.”

LINK: http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/art...973418,00.html


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An intresting read.

[Rockefella]

My car doesn't have electronic aids, and the ABS absolutely suck. The ABS were the cause of me destroying someone's bumper.

[Pando]

That makes you the Driver of Yesterday, then.

[nota]

That was indeed an interesting read

Many drivers today have no idea. I gained my driving skills in charablancs which would make even that 1990 BMW seem like a futuristic space vehicle. My first few cars had 3speed gearboxes (no synchro on 1st) and dramatic single-circuit drum brakes which either swerved or locked up, plus faded at every opportunity. For seats they had flat slippery couches with no seatbelts, there was no heater or even windcreeen washers. All of this lurched ponderously along on rims as thin as razorblades, equipped with crossply tyres that literally started sliding the moment you started turning the wheel

Looking back, those teflon coated crossplies meant that mastering & understanding the art of car control was an obligation, not some optional 'advanced skill' (I remember once watching my elderly grandmother confidently correcting an unexpected slide in her big '59 Humber Hawk)

However one good thing about those primitive old tyres was they could withstand a ridiculously big slip-angle yet still deliver some level of adhesion, so in general they were very progressive & forgiving even while howling away. By comparision, todays modern radials dont offer this forgiveness. They generate incredible lateral acceleration right up to the limit, then often a very sharp deterioration in grip. If you unwittingly step over, all hell breaks loose and you have to be very quick in your reactions

[henk4]

Originally Posted by Pando

That makes you the Driver of Yesterday, then.

I only have ABS too.

I think the use of a BMW was tat unfair, especially in the handling department, where nobody was probably familiar with violent oversteer which at that time less under control. They could also have taken a Peugeot 405 or a similar car and probably the effects would have been less impressive.

But yes, there is technical progress, which unfortunately is always electronically controlled, whereby one simple malfunction/shortcut in the system can turn the car into a lethal missile when that happens at speed.

[henk4]

Originally Posted by nota

However one good thing about those primitive old tyres was they could withstand a ridiculously big slip-angle yet still deliver some level of adhesion, so in general they were very progressive & forgiving even while howling away. By comparision, todays modern radials dont offer this forgiveness. They generate incredible lateral acceleration right up to the limit, then often a very sharp deterioration in grip. If you unwittingly step over, all hell breaks loose and you have to be very quick in your reactions

That was already the criticism on radials when they were first introduced. A very small transition range...

[drakkie]

This is exactly the same effect as with modern safety features.Cars are safer so people tend to drive faster.Have you ever seen a 2CV speeding ?NO,but plenty of X5's and that kinda stuff.you also rarely see a older civic(not driven by a youg person) speeding,while older people still speed in safer cars like a megane,c5,x5 or anything alike.

[Pando]

Originally Posted by henk4

I only have ABS too.

I have alot of respect for ABS brakes. Most of the cars I've driven hasn't had ABS and they can be pretty tricky in the winter (with 30cm of unplowed snow on uneven ice) and ABS just makes life alot better and safer in those circumstances. The antilock feature doesn't substract the fun out of driving either in my opinion. (trust me there is nothing fun about realizing half way in the corner that all of a sudden you've lost ALL grip and there is no time to lift the brake to regain it)

When it comes to other electronics, I havn't found anything I'd be very impressed with. But then again I havn't driven 1000bhp sportscars or gone offroading in extreme conditions when electronics most definately would be useful.

To a certain extent I drive differently with a car with ABS(in wintertime), but any other electronics I don't count/depend on.

I guess I'm not "Todays Driver" then either.

[Coventrysucks]

Originally Posted by www.timesonline.co.uk

TEST 1: BRAKING

She may not have known what ABS was but she missed it when it wasn’t there. Griffiths had added a little water to the surface to reduce grip and the results were predictable. The wheels locked and Curran could no longer steer the car out of danger. The BMW ploughed straight on into the cones, leaving a trail of rubber tyre marks.

Instantly invalidates any idea of this being a serious test.

How can you compare ABS to non-ABS if you change the conditions of the test?

How do we know for certain that the ABS equipped car would have stopped in the wet conditions?

Therefore we can't say for certain that ABS, or lack thereof, was responsible for the "crash".

Had this been a real-life situation on a busy motorway, they would have ploughed into other traffic and probably caused a multiple pile-up.

Had this been a real-life situation they wouldn't have been deliberately driving at 50mph towards a stationary car, would they.

Complete bollocks.

"Technology has moved on and drivers have been left behind.”

What?!

Why does it matter if people don't understand how ABS etc work?

Aside from cadance braking, nothing has been removed from driver instruction in the last 10 years that affects their understanding of car control.

A driver picking up his new BMW 15 years ago wouldn't know anything that a new driver isn't taught today, except perhaps knowledge gained from experience.

What next, the shocking expose on how modern train drivers don't know how to operate a steam engine?

Soliders found to be appalingly unaware of how to use muzzle-loading muskets and longbows?

[PerfAdv]

THE VERDICT

After four hours of driving, our volunteers were surprised at just how much they relied on modern safety systems and certainly left Crowthorne with no desire to return to the good old days of 1990.

Even allowing for the fact that the BMW’s technology was 15 years out of date Griffiths was shocked by our drivers’ lack of safety awareness. “This just goes to show that the boffins can come up with new safety ideas and the marketing men can sell them to buyers but the truth is that most drivers don’t understand them or how to drive to make the most of them,” he said.

“This test also showed how far car design has come. Modern cars not only have stability and traction control, they also have better tyres, better suspension and overall dynamics. Technology has moved on and drivers have been left behind.”

I don't get the verdict. In an effort to make a point that I thought they were making from the examples, the article ends by saying the opposite. The ABS test showed that drivers of modern cars are relying on it. The slalom run showed that cars equipped with traction control and ESP were easily able to navigate it. The drivers only had problems when they tried it in the '90 BMW, showing they do know how to use the modern tech.

I think, the blame the marketing men for everything mindset is difficult to shake off, another affliction of modern times...

Basically, electronic aids take part of the responsibility off of the driver. So, the driver needs to understand that just because he has some safety equipment doesn't mean he can disregard logic. Example: if you're approaching a left-hand sweeper in the rain and your car is equipped with ESP, and you figure that ESP will brake the appropriate wheel, cut power to engine, and slow the car enough to get through. If the speed is within reason that's what will happen but go in too fast and ESP won't alter the laws of physics.

** proper usage of ABS in emergency stop: stand on the brake pedal.

[RacingManiac]

LSD is not new.....and an X-bone frame is just better car design....