AAA Report – Driver Assistance Technology Not as Safe in the Rain
Can you believe we still don't have our flying cars? You know as kids we were promised that by the year 2000 and certainly by the year 2021 we'd all be zipping along an invisible skyway like George Jetson. But alas, we're still ground-bound but thanks to technology we are getting a lot of assistance behind the wheel.
Some of the greatest safety advancements in automotive technology and design have come in the past decade or so. We have cars that can basically parallel park themselves, help you stay in your lane on a busy roadway, and in some cases actually control the vehicle while you ride hands-free.
While all that technology is certainly helpful it is far from being foolproof. Triple-A, the American Automobile Association has studied these new advancements in automobiles and has determined that a lot of the driver-assistance technology can be thwarted by a very common occurrence. That occurrence is rain.
A Triple-A study found that in moderate to heavy rain these auto-systems fail about one-third of the time when the vehicle is motoring along at a speed of 35 mph or more. This is quite concerning because the automatic emergency braking system was one of those included in that failure rate.
A spokesperson for AAA says the issue that usually arises from these driver assistance aids is that motorists don't really understand what the systems are designed for. There are many people that believe some cars can actually drive themselves with no human interaction.
The facts about what these systems can and can't do are usually outlined quite explicitly in the automobiles operators manual. Surprisingly, most people don't even look at the operator's manual unless they can't figure out how to change a flat tire or tune the radio.
Oh, and one more piece of advice concerning driving in the rain from Triple-A. Don't use your cruise control. With the risk of hydroplaning on wet roads, you'll want to make sure that you're "feeling" your vehicle. You just can't do that when the cruise control is locked on.
Regardless, where ever you're driving be safe and remember to download our station app so that no matter how high tech or low tech your transportation system happens to be, at least you'll know you can bring your favorite source of local news, information, weather, and salacious gossip along with you too.
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