Lane Change Assist

[Giz9]

I just wanted to bump this thread to see to what the current
consensus was on lane change assist.

For context my understanding is that if I indicate lane
change left or right then I will get indication in the appropriate mirror that
there is something approaching, if fast then farther back but if slowly then only
if quite close in (including the blind spot on that side).

My concerns/thoughts on this are:

1. By
the time I indicate then I should know that it is clear to pull over - however I
am fallible and the blind spot can catch me out on a bad day on the busy motorway
or a motor bike overtaking the tractor and 10 other cars in the queue at 90mph
(sorry bikers here I know it is not you)

2. If
it flashes a warning then, yes there is a car that side (is that for sure?) which
I hope 9 out of 10 times I have seen and intend either change lane safely or as
minimum check they are able and willing to allow me to move over

So I would definitely not use it instead of due diligence
but in the two cases above is it truly helpful or is it just something that is flashing
annoyingly under most conditions almost defeating its benefits or even worst
actually misses the cases listed in (1)?

Can any users plese comment on how they find it now?

I have it and it would be the first option I would spec on a new car. It
works very well and can work seamlessly with your normal driving
practices. On one occasion, it probably saved me when someone overtook
me, very fast, on the left hand side, just as I was about to move back
innto that lane .

It works slightly differently from your
description. The lights come on at a low brightness when something is
approaching at a speed that would cause a hazard if you were to change
lanes. It spots things moving quickly a long way away. Hard to say how
far but quite a long way. If you then indicate in the direction of the
approaching vehicle, the lights will then flash brightly. So the system
is non-intrusive most of the time, but gets your attention when it needs
to. Ideally, you won't ever see the bright flashing light because you
have seen that vehicle approaching and won't change lanes. However, I
see it more often than I might expect!

My change lane routine is now, check rear view mirror, check door mirror including LCA lights, glance over shoulder, indicate, go.

I like it a lot.

[Nosmo]

The best safety feature you canput in a Macan costs ..... £149

Plus a few hours of your time plus most of all a commitment

Its joining the IAM and undertaking one of their training courses.

Sorry but its time to be controversal, if the average joe public on the road thinks they are a great driver then on a scale of 0 - 100 they are probably abot 33.

So how do you guys think you are on the scale?

So forget these expensive extras and invest in yourself.

Anyone who is a also biker will be better than those who are not,why is that, simple because some moron in a car is hell bent on killing them so a biker learns to observe far more than someone who is not

OK off soapbox now

+1 - Although some of the rigid views and techniques (steering anyone) they still teach need to be reviewed in this day and age .

[Ferdie]

Indeed a pertinent observation Col but I think you may have supported
my point if we are all 33/100. I for one am humble enough to admit I am fallible
and even given your and indeed my passion to improve 9 out of 10 cats will not.
So a background aid that monitor checks my decision while picking up on
someone that is not being defensive has to be worth considering if it does not
introduce other hazards (my actual question).

I am glad you feel many bikers hypervigilant, I have seen some
riders that are not so defensive, just as car there are car and van drivers! Having
read "Roadcraft" with great interest when I learnt to drive 40 years ago I am
sure a refresher would not go amiss for any of us.

Thankyou Giz9 it seems to work better than I thought it may.
I will look at the Porsche videos again. As you say a good double check for the
busy driver in a complex environment - As an aerospace engineer I can appreciate
the need for these systems as so often the human is the weak link!

[Nuclear Nick]

Colin is right on this one. Unfortunately most car drivers, particularly men, rate themselves as above average drivers (clearly not possible) and therefore not in need of further training. Many bikers are the same, but they may also have frightened themselves often or had near misses or even crashes and so are more likely to seek to improve their riding. Unlike bikers, car drivers often believe their car will save them and this feeling is reinforced by the addition of yet more driver aids and safety devices.

One major downside of the driver aids available now is that they begin to take away the concentration and alertness of the driver. Some here justify them saying that they can relax more on a long journey, ACC for example. But it isn't long before there is little difference between relaxing and sleeping!

[Nuclear Nick]

The best safety feature you canput in a Macan costs ..... £149

Plus a few hours of your time plus most of all a commitment

Its joining the IAM and undertaking one of their training courses.

Sorry but its time to be controversal, if the average joe public on the road thinks they are a great driver then on a scale of 0 - 100 they are probably abot 33.

So how do you guys think you are on the scale?

So forget these expensive extras and invest in yourself.

Anyone who is a also biker will be better than those who are not,why is that, simple because some moron in a car is hell bent on killing them so a biker learns to observe far more than someone who is not

OK off soapbox now

+1 - Although some of the rigid views and techniques (steering anyone) they still teach need to be reviewed in this day and age .

Fortunately this assertion is no longer true and the old Police dogma went some time ago. Now the emphasis is on skilful, safe and defensive driving with a more modern attitude towards technique. There is also a big push to appeal to younger drivers.

[goron59]

The best safety feature you canput in a Macan costs ..... £149

Plus a few hours of your time plus most of all a commitment

Its joining the IAM and undertaking one of their training courses.

[snip]

A reasonably point, but in context suggests it's some kind of either-or suggestion. It's not.

It would be great if we could all be better drivers.

It's probably worse to think you are a better driver because you've done a IAM course.

Also, implying that using LCA is indicative of poor driving is no more sensible or ridiculous than saying using your mirrors is indicative of poor driving.

[Ferdie]

Gosh - we rapidly left the functional performance and went philosophical
on the use of car options!

So where do we draw the line on a modern car, things are
very different from the 60's the driver work load in traffic is much higher and
distances travelled greater. No one disagrees that we can improve our driving
but assistance is everywhere, we all need it. Do I feel dis-empowered or made irresponsible
by power steering; no longer do I have a drivers appreciation of the adhesion and
feel of the road surface. ABS well how
irresponsible is that I should allow my own unaided stopping distances
according to my judgement of the surface in front of me!

Conversely, would I side with the guy using this Tesla's "auto-pilot"
recently hit a trailer while watching Harry Potter on the DVD in his Tesla. He
went too far, too soon. I agree with
Colin and Nick's principles but within 10 years we will be on roads with
driverless cars. I am happy to be supported by aids that protect me, while
still being able to enjoy the driving experience safely, in fact I would say
that these aids have proved the reason driving is safer than 20 years ago.

Any more debate is probably better with a beer in the pub

[goron59]

Yes, the old guard do like to derail threads :/

The OP pondered on how good LCA is.

I find it's very good for spotting vehicles with high delta-V. The sort of things you don't notice unless you are constantly looking in your mirrors. A number of times, I've looked in all mirrors every few seconds, saw nothing, then the lights come on, sill see nothing, then whoosh as a twat whizzes past. Blind spots are a bugger.

[goron59]

Surely the light only comes on when you are indicating in the appropriate direction?

It's a bit more complicated than that.

It comes on at higher speeds, if a vehicle enters the zone, left or right, where changing lane would be unwise. If you then indicate to change, it flashes and becomes brighter (because you didn't pay attention to the normal lights).

It also comes on with slower moving traffic entering a blind spot. Eg, you know a car is there, but can't see it anymore, so the lights come on.

You can of course turn the whole thing off. And you can turn the brightness down.

The GtK app has a long and rambling discussion of the whole thing.

[Retired]

IMO LCA is excellent. Have had it on my previous two cars and would always spec it.

Most of the time I use it as if it were part of the mirror. A scan of the mirror to see what's going on behind / beside the car takes in the glass and the LCA light. Gives me more information than just the glass.

If I want to change lanes do the usual check which is augmented by the LCA light and if all looks good signal. If something suddenly appears in the destination lane, maybe a kamikaze motorcycle courier, the flashing light caused by signalling a potentially unsafe lane change attracts attention even if you're not looking at the mirror.

A real benefit in moving high density multi-lane traffic.

It's not about learning to drive better or getting LCA. LCA makes you aware of things you might not be able to see without it. It augments the mirrors and enables the driver to be a better driver.

It doesn't do anything on behalf of the driver, it provides information to the driver so he / she can take appropriate action. In this respect it's quite different from ESP or ABS which actually take over and do things on behalf of the driver. In fact these two do things that a driver cannot!

Retired2016-07-20 09:14:32