This isn't grounded in fact, rather, in my personal driving experience. Generally I encounter people (I don't consider most people "motorists" as "motorists" would actually bother to follow the rules of the road) driving carelessly in newer vehicles that appear to have the latest safety feature (lane departure alert, forward collision alert, blind-spot monitoring) and just assume the car will do it for them. Like seriously, get your head out of your butt. Or better yet, make cars that force people to drive correctly.
All forms of technology that make life "easier" where less effort is put forth to achieve a goal, means that people don't need as much knowledge to use toward that goal. That means the "old ways" are forgotten and not passed down to the next generation. The next generation is then declared "stupid".
My observation is that what results in most stupid driving is people using their phones. I suspect they'd still be doing so in a car with no safety systems.
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on September 08, 2018, 09:53:41 PM
Or better yet, make cars that force people to drive correctly.
I'm curious as to how that might work (other than, I guess, just having the computer drive the car).
If someone is the kind of person who thinks safety features allow them to drive carelessly, then the worst thing you can do is put them in a crapbox with no safety features. Even if I grant you that older vehicles cause more careful driving (which I doubt), I wouldn't trust these people's idea of what "careful" is for a second.
Quote from: CtrlAltDel on September 09, 2018, 01:36:00 AM
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on September 08, 2018, 09:53:41 PM
Or better yet, make cars that force people to drive correctly.
I'm curious as to how that might work (other than, I guess, just having the computer drive the car).
An electric shock after every mistake.
"Stupid" is overly simplistic. Less reliant on figuring out things for themselves? In some ways, yes.
But if it means that a new car makes it easier to drive in varying road/weather conditions, then it allows for greater concentration on the road ahead. It can also mean more distractions with idle time for some people...texting and other things.
If less people are dying, than who cares if they know how to drive stick or drive without traction control? (https://www.bts.dot.gov/content/occupant-fatalities-vehicle-type-and-nonoccupant-fatalities) The problem has been an uptick in fatalities in the past few years. It leveled off to its lowest amounts in 2011, hovered a bit to 2014, but the data for 2015-17 is concerning...especially for pedestrians.
Yet, in terms of total fatalities, it's a lower overall number compared to a decade ago, and certainly less than previous decades.
As an aside, the numbers can be skewed...sub-compacts are safer* than ever before!
* less sold, likely less on the road (https://autoalliance.org/economy/facts-about-auto-sales/)
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on September 08, 2018, 09:53:41 PM
This isn't grounded in fact, rather, in my personal driving experience. Generally I encounter people (I don't consider most people "motorists" as "motorists" would actually bother to follow the rules of the road) driving carelessly in newer vehicles that appear to have the latest safety feature (lane departure alert, forward collision alert, blind-spot monitoring) and just assume the car will do it for them. Like seriously, get your head out of your butt. Or better yet, make cars that force people to drive correctly.
Also observed with other products with enhanced safety features to prevent damage. For instance, if you've ever purchased a spill/splash-proof phone, you may see a disclaimer that, in simple terms from what would actually be there, says "just because it's spill proof doesn't mean you get to go deliberately spilling things all over it/not exercising care with liquid, if you do that your warranty will be voided." .
I don't know if there's anything similar to that with cars that have enhanced safety features, I haven't paid attention to that. But if not, things like car advertisements, info when you buy a car, etc, should have them, based on what you're saying here.
"More stupid"? No.
"More stupidly"? Maybe.
:bigass:
I just rented a car with Lane Knowledge Assist and drove with my hands off the wheel more than I should have, but not so much that I put myself or anyone else in danger.
I read a fascinating article after the Air France plane plunged into the Atlantic while flying from Brazil to Paris that speculated whether autopilot was making human pilots too comfortable.
I feel some people do view these features as a replacement for human skills, rather than just as a supplement.
Quote from: abefroman329 on September 09, 2018, 07:55:28 PM
I read a fascinating article after the Air France plane plunged into the Atlantic while flying from Brazil to Paris that speculated whether autopilot was making human pilots too comfortable.
I don't think it's as easy to make the same assumptions with passenger aircraft - there's a lot of items and conditions to be monitored. The pitot tubes froze up, giving a bad speed reading, which caused the autopilot to disengage. I recall the resulting issue there was that the pilot was pushing up on the stick, while the first officer was doing the reverse action. This cancelled out the extreme moves as a precaution, which led to the airliner descending ever closer to the ocean (at night, so it was imperceptible to discern altitude). Airbus modified the autopilot to prevent a similar issue from happening again.
What makes drivers assume folks are "stupid" are probably the same things seen repeatedly that reinforce our beliefs that Everyone is Getting Dumber when it's just the same mistakes continuing to be made. Besides, driving is a classic example of Dunning-Kruger; everyone thinks they're great, nobody claims otherwise...yet I have not been anywhere in which people brag that they're collectively the best all-round drivers (short of a professional automobile race).
I think that automatic headlights coupled with daytime running lights in more vehicles seem to have resulted with more people driving without their headlights on at night (or maybe just my imagination). I had a car with auto headlights (that frustratingly couldn't be disabled), followed by a car where it could be (and I manually turned them on) followed by my current car where I don't have it at all. However, my car has daytime running lights which provide just enough light where I might not immediately think to turn on the headlights at dusk (although I always check). It seems on my commute home at night that I encounter a number of cars in the darkness driving on their daytime running lights with no taillights. There's probably a few driving rentals or used to auto headlights that don't realize they're driving without their lights on.
It's known that people drive based on how safe they perceive themselves to be and are more careful when they feel less safe. That's why most crashes happen when people are on familiar roads, and why studies show that areas with more "free for all" conditions can be more safe than a fully controlled street (think an unmarked European street with lots of pedestrians vs. the typical American suburban arterial). I imagine it applies to cars too.
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on September 09, 2018, 10:42:46 AM
An electric shock after every mistake.
Sounds like the Stanley Milgram Experiment.
Quote from: Roadrunner75 on September 09, 2018, 09:16:35 PM
I think that automatic headlights coupled with daytime running lights in more vehicles seem to have resulted with more people driving without their headlights on at night (or maybe just my imagination). I had a car with auto headlights (that frustratingly couldn't be disabled), followed by a car where it could be (and I manually turned them on) followed by my current car where I don't have it at all. However, my car has daytime running lights which provide just enough light where I might not immediately think to turn on the headlights at dusk (although I always check). It seems on my commute home at night that I encounter a number of cars in the darkness driving on their daytime running lights with no taillights. There's probably a few driving rentals or used to auto headlights that don't realize they're driving without their lights on.
Rain too, since people tend to assume that they do more than they actually do.
'Stupid' is also in the eye of the beholder. I've seen many people doing the stupid thing, getting made at someone doing the proper thing.
On the whole the average drivers aren't particular skilled in anything other urban commute combat. That doesn't particularly endear itself to good behavior no matter what road or vehicle is involved, a shitty driver is just plainly that...a shitty driver.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Let us divide the idea into two parts. First are the driver assist items like lane departure, anti-collision, adaptive cruise control, and so on. These are 99% good things, but a driver is still required. I will give an example. In my area, they are doing some road work. This has shifted lanes, so the old lane stripes are painted over and new ones put down. Fine. Except when it rains, they all look the same to the computer. Several times my lane departure goes off, and I do nothing. Because I am paying attention. But I have seen many try to hold to the wrong lane, and thus several near accidents.
The second is GPS. GPS is useful, if you use it properly. I just got back from a quick trip to DC. Two cars, I was driving neither. Younger guys in the front, older guys following. Young guys driving is using GPS incorrectly. At interstate speeds, GPS will not tell you to work your way right four or five miles ahead, which is needed on busy multiple lane highways. Thus, and not just from the guy we were following, but lots of people, sudden crazy Ivan turns across 4 or 5 lanes to get to an exit. Missed an exit twice. Because you use GPS AS A SUPPLEMENT, for already knowing what route you are taking, including the exit name and number, every time, period.
It's attention deficit more than stupidity, and yes smartphones and their integration into vehicles do play a notable role in it being more prevalent nowadays. However, I had 2 rear-end accidents where I was at fault before my 20th birthday in my tiny hometown running into the back of left-turning trucks. One was looking across a parking lot at a girl, and the other was dinking with my stereo, so my stupidity couldn't be blamed on anything other than head-in-arse disease.
I still think that the majority of the humans around me in traffic during rush hour would fail a followup driving test, though. It comes down to common courtesy in most cases. Common courtesy, like common sense, doesn't seem to actually be common in practice.
Quote from: MikieTimT on October 15, 2018, 10:05:09 PMI still think that the majority of the humans around me in traffic during rush hour would fail a followup driving test, though.
When my family and I moved back to Illinois, as adults, and went to get Illinois driver" s licenses, we all had to take the same written test they give to first-time licensees. Even my parents, who were in their 60s at the time and once had Illinois licenses. I was the only one who studied for the test and did no better than my family members who didn't study (we all passed).
Well, all I know is that since ashtrays have been removed from cars, I'm seeing more burning cancer sticks thrown out the window
Quote from: SP Cook on September 10, 2018, 09:42:33 AM
In my area, they are doing some road work. This has shifted lanes, so the old lane stripes are painted over and new ones put down. Fine. Except when it rains, they all look the same to the computer. Several times my lane departure goes off, and I do nothing. Because I am paying attention. But I have seen many try to hold to the wrong lane, and thus several near accidents.
I'm curious to know how lane assist works. If there's a bunch of potholes in my lane, is it going to freak out if I cross the center line or shoulder line to avoid blowing a tire?
On my particular car, if you cross out of your lane (or what the computer thinks is your lane) the steering wheel shakes and a "womp womp" sound replaces whatever is on the radio.
I think there are more expensive models that actually try to hold the car in the lane, which is a bad thing.
Quote from: Roadrunner75 on September 09, 2018, 09:16:35 PM
I think that automatic headlights coupled with daytime running lights in more vehicles seem to have resulted with more people driving without their headlights on at night (or maybe just my imagination).
Not your imagination.... I have observed the same.
Quote from: SP Cook on October 16, 2018, 12:53:41 PM
On my particular car, if you cross out of your lane (or what the computer thinks is your lane) the steering wheel shakes and a "womp womp" sound replaces whatever is on the radio.
I think there are more expensive models that actually try to hold the car in the lane, which is a bad thing.
Gosh, I would hate that! On highways with particularly bad pavement, I'm known to ride the center or shoulder stripe for miles at a time (obviously only if doing so doesn't interfere with other traffic). I also ride the stripe when crossing railroads, because it's usually a smoother transition than the more rutted tire tracks.
Quote from: frankenroad on October 16, 2018, 12:55:11 PM
Quote from: Roadrunner75 on September 09, 2018, 09:16:35 PM
I think that automatic headlights coupled with daytime running lights in more vehicles seem to have resulted with more people driving without their headlights on at night (or maybe just my imagination).
Not your imagination.... I have observed the same.
I haven't noticed that. Sure, I see people driving without headlights when they should have them on, but I've been seeing that for as long as I've been old enough to drive. If anything, I think people are
more likely to turn their lights on simply because they're seeing more traffic around them with their lights on. I chalk up the occasional ninja car to the same old forgetfulness that's been around for years.
Quote from: kphoger on October 16, 2018, 01:15:34 PM
Quote from: frankenroad on October 16, 2018, 12:55:11 PM
Quote from: Roadrunner75 on September 09, 2018, 09:16:35 PM
I think that automatic headlights coupled with daytime running lights in more vehicles seem to have resulted with more people driving without their headlights on at night (or maybe just my imagination).
Not your imagination.... I have observed the same.
I haven't noticed that.
I definitely
have noticed an increase in cars driving around with dim DRLs and no side marker or taillights, and I'm willing to go out on a limb and say the problem is much worse than it was about 20 years ago when I was old enough to pay much attention to the actions of other drivers on the road.
Automatic headlights are a bit of a positive and a negative: Positive in that they turn on the headlights (and taillights and side markers) for those who might otherwise forget to turn them on manually, but negative because people who have become accustomed to automatic headlights may not think to turn the light switch when driving a car without them. I've been guilty of this myself briefly in rental cars. With only two exceptions, every one of my cars has either had automatic headlights or in the case of my Subarus, the headlights turned off with the ignition, so I simply left the headlight switch on all the time.
DRLs are part of the problem as well, but I think the key culprit is the type of "always-on" glowing dashboards that has become popular in recent years. DRLs might be enough to illuminate the road ahead of you–so you might forget to hit the headlight switch–but eventually, you'll look down at the gauges and realize that none of your dash lights are on. But many modern cars have deeply hooded gauge clusters that are brilliantly illuminated day and night–regardless of whether the headlights are turned on or not. And with enough light to see the path in front of you and a glowing set of gauges, drivers easily make the mistake of thinking that their lights are on–when in reality the back and sides of their car are a dark void to other drivers.
Quote from: briantroutman on October 16, 2018, 01:58:50 PM
DRLs are part of the problem ... drivers easily make the mistake of thinking that their lights are on–when in reality the back and sides of their car are a dark void to other drivers.
Now THAT is something I've definitely noticed.
Bold emphasis added:
Quote from: briantroutman on October 16, 2018, 01:58:50 PMDRLs are part of the problem as well, but I think the key culprit is the type of “always-on” glowing dashboards that has become popular in recent years. DRLs might be enough to illuminate the road ahead of you— so you might forget to hit the headlight switch —but eventually, you'’ll look down at the gauges and realize that none of your dash lights are on. But many modern cars have deeply hooded gauge clusters that are brilliantly illuminated day and night —regardless of whether the headlights are turned on or not. And with enough light to see the path in front of you and a glowing set of gauges, drivers easily make the mistake of thinking that their lights are on— when in reality the back and sides of their car are a dark void to other drivers.
I concur. I have definitely noticed a sizable uptick with drivers in
newer vehicles driving without their headlights on at night.
Quote from: SP Cook on October 16, 2018, 12:53:41 PM
On my particular car, if you cross out of your lane (or what the computer thinks is your lane) the steering wheel shakes and a "womp womp" sound replaces whatever is on the radio.
I think there are more expensive models that actually try to hold the car in the lane, which is a bad thing.
I turn that feature off the moment I notice a rental car has this annoying option. These systems "tug" the wheel gently if you verge slightly off / near the painted road edge, which kicks in an over-reaction on my part. The car's smart enough to detect road contrast, but not roadkill or debris I'd like to swerve around. I also try to turn off warnings for Braking Assist features, if possible; more distracting lights and tones are not what I need in a stop-short situation.
As for headlights that should be on...from experience, I don't think the number of drivers failing to turn on headlights has increased, but it sure hasn't slackened much. But automatic lights always have an off switch, so given the opportunity for someone to override a feature, folks will do it (when possible, as I described above). I still have a car with manual lighting, but the instrument cluster is very bright at night if you forget to turn in the headlights, so that it's visible in harsh daylight, yet dimming significantly when the headlights are on.
I was in a rented Mazda something or other last month that had that some of those "features". Part of the problem seems to be they are configured generally conservatively, i.e. they beep too easily. The blindspot monitor, for example, seems to want you to have multiple car lengths between you and the car behind you when you change lanes... even in stop and go traffic. Fortunately you can turn off the beeping from this feature and let it only activate the little light on the mirror when it thinks your blindspot is occupied, which is easy to ignore.
The lane departure assist, as already noted, had the problem of alerting when you were crossing a lane line deliberately to swerve around something. And, in a big "fuck you, nanny car knows best" to the driver, Mazda will allow you to switch this feature between beeping and vibrating the steering wheel when it triggers... but they do not give you an option turn it off, at least not one that is intuitively accessible through the settings menu.
Still, there are newer features which are useful rather than annoying. I like my automatic headlights - this is legitimately a convenience, it does not make startling beeps at me, it does not attempt to alter the way in which I am making the vehicle move, and - most importantly - it can be manually overridden with the turn of a dial.
The most horrible automatic "features" are the ones that do not permit manual override, or deliberately make it annoying to manually override.
I feel like my TL (a 2012 model, though the generation came out in 2008), has the right safety balance. Lots of airbags, blind spot monitoring (new for 2012), but no lane departure warning or anything else. The blind spot monitoring system doesn't beep, only flashes, when you put the turn signal on with a car in its monitored area. It, as well as the traction control, are easily disabled with the push of a button.
Quote from: wanderer2575 on September 09, 2018, 12:02:50 AM
My observation is that what results in most stupid driving is people using their phones. I suspect they'd still be doing so in a car with no safety systems.
That's the biggest change in driver stupidity over the past 5 years or so, imo. Distraction by phones is the cause for so many incidents now.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on September 09, 2018, 08:03:08 PM
I feel some people do view these features as a replacement for human skills, rather than just as a supplement.
You articulated that very well. This is exactly what the problem is. They put warnings on all of the cars with backup cameras, for example, that say some variation of "this camera is not to replace the act of checking behind you with your own two eyes." I don't think it would be fair to blame the act of backing into someone else's car on a faulty backup camera, do you? Same with the sensors that detect a car next to you when making a lane change. If it didn't beep, and you hit someone, you should still be considered to be at fault.
Quote from: RobbieL2415 on September 09, 2018, 10:42:46 AM
An electric shock after every mistake.
Ooh, kinky.
Also,
Quote from: 1995hoo on September 09, 2018, 04:36:40 PM
"More stupid"? No.
"More stupidly"? Maybe.
:bigass:
THANK. YOU. You might want to use the correct grammatical structure when calling anyone else stupid? Just a suggestion lol
Quote from: formulanone on October 16, 2018, 02:57:31 PMAs for headlights that should be on...from experience, I don't think the number of drivers failing to turn on headlights has increased, but it sure hasn't slackened much.
My experience, which is in line with what others have been reporting, is that DRL-equipped cars cruising at night with just the DRLs is fairly common.
Quote from: formulanone on October 16, 2018, 02:57:31 PMBut automatic lights always have an off switch, so given the opportunity for someone to override a feature, folks will do it (when possible, as I described above). I still have a car with manual lighting, but the instrument cluster is very bright at night if you forget to turn in the headlights, so that it's visible in harsh daylight, yet dimming significantly when the headlights are on.
Unless a driver happens to be driving at dusk when he or she sees the instrument panel illumination change from day bright to night dim, he or she may not even be aware there are separate day/night modes. DRLs themselves can obscure the lack of automatic headlamp activation at night, so that the driver doesn't realize he or she actually has to turn on the headlamps manually. And while many cars now have telltales that report whether the headlamps are on, the symbology is inconsistent, unless it has been standardized over the past decade or so. I know of no driver that has been socialized to look for an illuminated headlamp telltale to verify that low beams, and not just DRLs, are on.
There are multiple situations that can result in a driver trying to run at night on DRLs alone--not familiar with the car (very common with rentals and borrowed cars), turned headlamps to manual and then forgot to return them to auto (as you suggest), etc.
My 2005 Camry is the only car I drive regularly that has auto headlamps and I invariably keep them in auto mode since I try to comply with any daytime headlamp burn requirements (full-time in Canada, various safety corridors scattered throughout the US, mild attenuation of visibility, etc.) through DRLs alone. However, if it is at night but I do not need courtesy illumination, and I expect to have a door or the trunk open for an extended time while I load or unload the car, I flip the lights from auto to manual and back again to turn off the headlamps and taillights. This is because in auto mode both come on as part of the courtesy illumination and stay on while the car is open; the timer for lamp shutoff does not begin to run until the car is fully closed.
Quote from: formulanone on October 16, 2018, 02:57:31 PMBut automatic lights always have an off switch, so given the opportunity for someone to override a feature, folks will do it (when possible, as I described above). I still have a car with manual lighting, but the instrument cluster is very bright at night if you forget to turn in the headlights, so that it's visible in harsh daylight, yet dimming significantly when the headlights are on.
A 1999 Corolla I had did not have an off switch for the automatic headlights. It was either "On" or auto mode (mislabeled as "Off" if I recall). Every once in awhile I would get frustrated with it for some reason (probably when someone at a gate, etc. told me to turn them off) and I would plan to find a way to override them, and then I would just forget about it. My brother who was in the military had a truck with a similar setup around the same time, and he often had to explain to guards at the base gate that he couldn't just switch to parking lights.
My 2005 Camry added a real working "Off" feature (On / Auto / DRL Off), and being so frustrated with my experience with the Corolla, I "relearned" turning on my lights manually at night and kept it in "Off" during the day (which also turned my DRLs off).
When I got to my 2010 RAV4, I expected Toyota to progress to a full four function On/Auto/Off/DRL Off, but the model I got did not have automatic headlights at all, so it was back to the good ol' days of just On/Off (with DRLs always on). Fine with me.
I agree with some of the comments above that the dashboard lighting and DRLs contribute to more people forgetting (or not realizing) to turn their headlights on at night. I think I've definitely seen an increase in people driving with only DRLs at night - maybe not as much running fully dark.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBlsVH1UAAAPM0b.jpg)
So my car now flips the lights on when the wipers are in INT, or ON (when lights set to AUTO)
Quote from: inkyatari on October 16, 2018, 08:51:51 AM
Well, all I know is that since ashtrays have been removed from cars, I'm seeing more burning cancer sticks thrown out the window
They put some chemical in cigarettes to make them fire-safe, IIRC. Whatever it is, it's probably even worse for the lungs than tar.
(This summer, someone here mentioned that cigarettes in the early days had much less nicotine than they do now. I did not know that. Before reading that, I thought that it was cigar and pipe tobacco that was high tar/low nicotine.)
Also, I wouldn't try to toss a Marlboro out a window in a drought-stricken area.
My Saab 9-3 is programmed to have "always on" lights. There's no way to disable the feature without plugging in a TECH-II and reprogramming the ECU. No switch, no separate fuse. And I don't have $900 for a TECH-II. I prefer switchable roadway lights because I like the look during the day of the car being un-lit. But I am in the process of converting over to all-LED exterior lights.
Quote from: paulthemapguy on October 18, 2018, 09:31:12 AM
Quote from: wanderer2575 on September 09, 2018, 12:02:50 AM
My observation is that what results in most stupid driving is people using their phones. I suspect they'd still be doing so in a car with no safety systems.
That's the biggest change in driver stupidity over the past 5 years or so, imo. Distraction by phones is the cause for so many incidents now.
If you don't mind me asking, do you have proof of that?
I am not denying it in any way, but our crash data is definitely underreporting it since distraction in crashes relies on either the driver's honesty (and taking a $206 ticket) or having a witness there.
Quote from: SSOWorld on October 20, 2018, 10:37:00 PMSo my car now flips the lights on when the wipers are in INT, or ON (when lights set to AUTO)
I make the decision to turn on low beams based on visibility alone, independently of the wipers, largely because I rarely, if ever, run the wipers on a continuous setting at highway speeds. I generally find Rain-X to be more effective at clearing water from the windshield at speed than the wipers. A few weeks ago I had to drive a car in rain with the wipers alone, because the windshield had just been replaced and I had not yet gotten around to applying Rain-X, and I could barely see a thing even with the wipers at top speed.
As I have gotten older, I have become more willing to slow down to accommodate spikes in rainfall intensity. I don't have the data to prove it, but I intuit that these spikes have become more common than they were when I started driving, and that I am now also more likely to see them outside the American South where violent thunderstorms have traditionally been more common. This phenomenon (if it can be proven to exist) is likely connected to global warming.
It is often suggested that cruise control should be turned off in rainstorms, because the control logic will result in additional power being pumped to the drive wheels when slip develops and this in turn generates instability that can result in the vehicle going into a spin. I don't personally abstain from using cruise control unless the rain is quite heavy or has just started and is falling on oil-soaked pavement, but I do pay close attention to steering wheel feel because the development of water wedges underneath the tires causes the wheel to shudder; when shuddering develops, I dial the set speed down until it goes away.
Quote from: J N Winkler on October 25, 2018, 01:35:30 PM
It is often suggested that cruise control should be turned off in rainstorms, because the control logic will result in additional power being pumped to the drive wheels when slip develops and this in turn generates instability that can result in the vehicle going into a spin.
I have had 5 cars dating back to 1992 that had cruise control, and on all of them the moment any hydroplaning started the cruise control immediately disengaged.
Quotebut I think the key culprit is the type of "always-on" glowing dashboards that has become popular in recent years.
BINGO!!! We have a winner. For the first several months after getting my 2012 Focus, there were times when I would drive off at night without putting my headlights on first for this exact reason. Oddly enough, this usually happened not when I was starting out, but if I made a stop along the way, then got back into my car.
Quote from: roadman on October 25, 2018, 01:51:24 PM
Quotebut I think the key culprit is the type of "always-on" glowing dashboards that has become popular in recent years.
BINGO!!! We have a winner. For the first several months after getting my 2012 Focus, there were times when I drive off at night without putting my headlights on first for this exact reason. Oddly enough, this usually happened not when I was starting out, but if I made a stop along the way, then got back into my car.
What helped me when I started driving was that my father insisted that I should always use my headlights, regardless of lighting and road conditions (he grew up in Norway, where that is required).
Quote from: roadman on October 25, 2018, 01:51:24 PM
Quotebut I think the key culprit is the type of "always-on" glowing dashboards that has become popular in recent years.
BINGO!!! We have a winner. For the first several months after getting my 2012 Focus, there were times when I would drive off at night without putting my headlights on first for this exact reason. Oddly enough, this usually happened not when I was starting out, but if I made a stop along the way, then got back into my car.
Omg you're right. Why are we complaining about people using their smartphones while driving, then installing a frickin smartphone in the dashboard of everyone's car?
Quote from: J N Winkler on October 25, 2018, 01:35:30 PM
I rarely, if ever, run the wipers on a continuous setting at highway speeds. I generally find Rain-X to be more effective at clearing water from the windshield at speed than the wipers.
Me too. I only use wipers on a continuous setting if it's a real downpour. Sometimes at speeds below 30 mph, too, because the wind often doesn't streak the rain off the windshield fast enough.
Quote from: SP Cook on October 16, 2018, 12:53:41 PM
On my particular car, if you cross out of your lane (or what the computer thinks is your lane) the steering wheel shakes and a "womp womp" sound replaces whatever is on the radio.
....
My wife complains when her car does this (although hers doesn't mute the stereo). But 95% of the time it's because she tried to change lanes without using her blinker. I have zero sympathy since she wouldn't have the problem if she simply did what the law here requires in the first place!