Dangerous ACC

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cbotved

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Got the car two days ago, so might not be all familiar with it yet, however I experienced something rather dangerous yesterday.

Was cruising with ACC on behind another car, this car the decides to turn away from the main road we where driving on, using a turn-lane (or what they are actually called).
Problem is that the ACC continued to see him in the other lane, so when he started slowing down, so did I. But guess what, all the cars behind me had not seen this coming, so almost had my A3 SB converted into a regular A3.

Is this really "normal" behavior?
 
The acc doesn't like you undertaking. You need to give the accelerator pedal a nudge, or pull the acc stalk to give it a boost
 
Think you misunderstood me.

In Denmark we drive in the right hand side. And he was my that time on my right hand, so no undertaking..... :)
 
Limitations of auto pilot cannot be programmed for every situation. But then if the ACC was braking the rear lights would have come on and it is the fault of the drivers behind you for following too close...
 
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Ah fair enough. In that case that equivalent manoeuvre in the UK, ive not had that problem in my car
 
This can happen. The problem is that it isn't sure the other car has moved completely out of your lane. It will sometimes work out what is going on, especially if you have sat nav fitted. However, you've got to be ready for this. As others have said, just lightly press the accelerator pedal. Once you get used to the system this isn't an issue. I'd recommend reading the instruction manual for ACC thoroughly, as it points out some other limitations.
 
Yes I've had this once too, I just stabbed the accelerator instinctively and it launched away again. I am still learning the best techniques to use with ACC but generally it is brilliant!
 
I maintain that systems like this should be illegal. They're far too dangerous and, whilst the manufacturers put all manner of disclaimers in saying they're just an aid and ultimate control and responsibility lies with the driver, the problem is that people will trust them too much and, when they screw up, it will cause accidents and possibly deaths.

There should be legal limits imposed on how "much" systems like this can aid the driver. One of the biggest causes of accidents is drivers not paying attention and these systems just promote this. Ask yourself how often you've been driving and suddenly thought "omg, I don't actually remember driving the last few miles" because it became autonomous and you weren't concentrating on what you were doing. This will happen far more often.

End rant :p
 
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Vertigo1 said:
I maintain that systems like this should be illegal. They're far too dangerous and, whilst the manufacturers put all manner of disclaimers in saying they're just an aid and ultimate control and responsibility lies with the driver, the problem is that people will trust them too much and, when they screw up, it will cause accidents and possibly deaths.

There should be legal limits imposed on how "much" systems like this can aid the driver. One of the biggest causes of accidents is drivers not paying attention and these systems just promote this. Ask yourself how often you've been driving and suddenly thought "omg, I don't actually remember driving the last few miles" because it became autonomous and you weren't concentrating on what you were doing. This will happen far more often.

End rant :p
Click to expand...

I agree - For me at the end of the day I like driving to much to ever contemplate ACC and only use Standard CC when on long straight french motorways
 
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Vertigo1 said:
I maintain that systems like this should be illegal. They're far too dangerous and, whilst the manufacturers put all manner of disclaimers in saying they're just an aid and ultimate control and responsibility lies with the driver, the problem is that people will trust them too much and, when they screw up, it will cause accidents and possibly deaths.

There should be legal limits imposed on how "much" systems like this can aid the driver. One of the biggest causes of accidents is drivers not paying attention and these systems just promote this. Ask yourself how often you've been driving and suddenly thought "omg, I don't actually remember driving the last few miles" because it became autonomous and you weren't concentrating on what you were doing. This will happen far more often.

End rant :p
Click to expand...

Flip side of this being, the more cars on the road with ACC means the less margin there is for driver error as the ACC can pick up on hazards the driver has missed.
I was reading an article the other day that stated if 1 in 5 cars have ACC then general traffic flow would increase, the only problem with it at the moment is when merging traffic comes together, as this would require all vehicles to have ACC for it to actually have a positive impact on traffic flow.

The report is here
 
Vertigo1 said:
I maintain that systems like this should be illegal. They're far too dangerous and, whilst the manufacturers put all manner of disclaimers in saying they're just an aid and ultimate control and responsibility lies with the driver, the problem is that people will trust them too much and, when they screw up, it will cause accidents and possibly deaths.

There should be legal limits imposed on how "much" systems like this can aid the driver. One of the biggest causes of accidents is drivers not paying attention and these systems just promote this. Ask yourself how often you've been driving and suddenly thought "omg, I don't actually remember driving the last few miles" because it became autonomous and you weren't concentrating on what you were doing. This will happen far more often.

End rant :p
Click to expand...

Load of rubbish. Computers are more reliable 'drivers' than humans the vast majority of the time. And only an idiot would let a system like this be an excuse for not paying attention. The only people I find who object to this kind of stuff are people who somehow think that using an assist system 'erodes' away at their driving skill in some way, and are scared of change. The future will have far more of this, with more things becoming automated, less accidents, less congestion, and I can only see it as a good thing.

Do you object to traction control, ABS & power steering as well?

End rant :)

As for the OPs post - the system is just being cautious. Better to slow down than to potentially ram the car in front because it thought it was out the way, right? It's easily overridden by pulling back on the stalk or pressing the accelerator as others have said - I'd hardly call it dangerous.
 
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Personally, I find the ACC to be one of the best SAFETY features I've specced on my A3. Both my wife and I can be guilty of subconsciously edging closer than we should be if we're tired and stuck behind a vehicle going "too slow" (e.g. caravan or lorry on a country road). Particularly being tired to start with, that's obviously the worst thing to be doing.

With the ACC it's much easier to maintain a decent gap and lower frustration levels, all of which leads to a safer drive. For sure, there's an argument to say we should drive impeccably at all times, and never when remotely tired, but those aspirations don't entirely fit with the real world, and we've both noted finishing journeys both less frustrated/tired and consequently more alert, WITH the ACC than without.

Likewise nobody can be 100% attentive - there are plenty of distractions out there, reading roadsigns, checking mirrors, I don't have kids, but I'd imagine a few of those in the back could be a handful on occasion ... I can't see how it can be anything other than a good thing to have a second "pair of eyes" on the road should someone slam on the breaks unexpectedly.
 
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I too have found ACC makes driving far less stressful and frustrating, I love it. Going on a trip to Newcastle on Tuesday where I'm going to get plenty of opportunity to put it to use :D
 
Daveotto said:
I agree - For me at the end of the day I like driving to much to ever contemplate ACC and only use Standard CC when on long straight french motorways
Click to expand...

I tend to use my cruise control mostly on my long journeys on the French motorways (to get out of France and in to Germany as quickly as possible!) and I think I will find the ACC even more useful than normal cruise control. I quite often have to switch off my cruise, usually by braking, when I come up behind a slower moving vehicle. The when I can overtake I re-engage cruise again. With ACC the system will do this for me.

The other time I think it will be useful is going through a section of roadworks where I engage cruise to ensure I stay within the speed limit (with average speed cameras watching!) and the car in front does not seem to be able to keep a constant speed is is going slower than the speed limit. Again the ACC will help with this.

If I don't think it's doing a good job I can always switch it off. Nothing will force me to use it.
 
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h5djr said:
The other time I think it will be useful is going through a section of roadworks where I engage cruise to ensure I stay within the speed limit (with average speed cameras watching!) and the car in front does not seem to be able to keep a constant speed is is going slower than the speed limit. Again the ACC will help with this. .
Click to expand...

Agreed - motorway roadworks sections (especially the average speed sections) are where I use it the most.

The extended roadworks on the northern section of the M25 are a great example. Enter roadworks - set ACC to 50mph (with distance setting on 2) - cruise all the way through to the end of the roadworks section without touching the accelerator or brake regardless of what traffic up ahead does. Job done :)
 
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Those situations are exactly when I think it's at its best too, as well as going through villages with 30/40 limits (which everyone seems to like to speed through, but I don't).
 
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Vertigo1 said:
I maintain that systems like this should be illegal. They're far too dangerous and, whilst the manufacturers put all manner of disclaimers in saying they're just an aid and ultimate control and responsibility lies with the driver, the problem is that people will trust them too much and, when they screw up, it will cause accidents and possibly deaths.

There should be legal limits imposed on how "much" systems like this can aid the driver. One of the biggest causes of accidents is drivers not paying attention and these systems just promote this. Ask yourself how often you've been driving and suddenly thought "omg, I don't actually remember driving the last few miles" because it became autonomous and you weren't concentrating on what you were doing. This will happen far more often.

End rant :p
Click to expand...

I absolutely 100% disagree!

What I will say though is thet it's encumbant on anyone using ANY driving aid to fully appreciate its limitations and to realise that ultimately it's the driver's responsibility to ensure the safe operation of the vehicle. The ACC is an amazing piece of hardware / software engineering but there are little foibles such as the one encountered by the original poster.

At no time when using the ACC (and I use it almost 100% of the time) have I felt any less safe than if I had been driving without it. On the contrary it encourages better behaviour not least because it won't allow you to drive too close to the car in front, which is all too common these days.
 
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constvoid said:
I absolutely 100% disagree!

What I will say though is thet it's encumbant on anyone using ANY driving aid to fully appreciate its limitations and to realise that ultimately it's the driver's responsibility to ensure the safe operation of the vehicle. The ACC is an amazing piece of hardware / software engineering but there are little foibles such as the one encountered by the original poster.

At no time when using the ACC (and I use it almost 100% of the time) have I felt any less safe than if I had been driving without it. On the contrary it encourages better behaviour not least because it won't allow you to drive too close to the car in front, which is all too common these days.
Click to expand...

I am sure that ths system itself is inherently safe, the problem is the daft humans using it
 
Well, take their cars away as well then, can't have daft humans in charge of something as dangerous as a car!
 
I can fall into the daft criteria - so I did not spec it ! :thumbsup:
 
Think such systems should only be used in certain situations but I'd call that common sense.
No relation to the OP but think some people actually believe cars have auto pilot and when it does something that a human wouldn't the car gets the blame even though it's 9 times out of 10 the drivers fault for incorrect use
 
The brainless idiots like the 4x4 blind driver who hit my car should be forced to have access. He wouldn't have hit me

I'm waiting for the first clueless idiot who blames account for their incompetence. People who do that shouldn't be on the road
 
royalsteve68 said:
The brainless idiots like the 4x4 blind driver who hit my car should be forced to have access. He wouldn't have hit me

I'm waiting for the first clueless idiot who blames account for their incompetence. People who do that shouldn't be on the road
Click to expand...

I read your posts and they nearly always encourage thought of idiots.
 
Last edited:
I've been undecided on ACC as it's bundled with lane assist on the tech pack advanced. Danger is that I've got other things that need switching off (stop/start), and lane control has mixed reviews so not sure if I could fully turn this off.

I like the idea of ACC in terms of the fact that on the A34 near us it's full of hills and renders cruise all but useless other than at the most anti-social times of day. It's always harder to spec things you can't test on dealer cars as they never seem to have cars in with spec you want.
 
Lane assist remembers if it was on or off when you turn the ignition off. When it is off, it is completely off.
 
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Cheers, that's useful to know.
 
warren_S3 said:
I've been undecided on ACC as it's bundled with lane assist on the tech pack advanced. Danger is that I've got other things that need switching off (stop/start), and lane control has mixed reviews so not sure if I could fully turn this off.

I like the idea of ACC in terms of the fact that on the A34 near us it's full of hills and renders cruise all but useless other than at the most anti-social times of day. It's always harder to spec things you can't test on dealer cars as they never seem to have cars in with spec you want.
Click to expand...


The dealer car I tested had ACC on it & I wouldn't have ordered one until I had the chance to test it.
As with most, I want it because in recent years I've found it pretty much impossible to use ordinary CC due to people unable to maintain a steady speed. (How many times have you pulled into the outside lane to pass, only for the person in the inner lane to suddenly wake up & put the foot down again when noticing they were about to be passed?)

I also wanted to test it to prove that it kept enough distance for my liking as I'm pretty anal about stone chips.

With regards to the dangers of ACC. I'd say its only going to be a real issue to someone when the "sleeper" behind them goes in to the back of them, in which case, it's the blame of the person behind for either driving too close, or not paying attention.

In the case of an accident, there are no exceptions to this.
 
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S3quatt said:
The dealer car I tested had ACC on it & I wouldn't have ordered one until I had the chance to test it.
As with most, I want it because in recent years I've found it pretty much impossible to use ordinary CC due to people unable to maintain a steady speed. (How many times have you pulled into the outside lane to pass, only for the person in the inner lane to suddenly wake up & put the foot down again when noticing they were about to be passed?)

I also wanted to test it to prove that it kept enough distance for my liking as I'm pretty anal about stone chips.

With regards to the dangers of ACC. I'd say its only going to be a real issue to someone when the "sleeper" behind them goes in to the back of them, in which case, it's the blame of the person behind for either driving too close, or not paying attention.

In the case of an accident, there are no exceptions to this.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. Agreed re people's speed, I'd never noticed until CC how much people must have an issue with people passing them as I've run up behind people at 70ish and then when pulled out to overtake I've had to add numerous dabs onto the CC stalk to pass. Once you clear them they then fall back fast. Ego is a very strange commodity!

I shall add the tech pack advanced to my order tomorrow as I've still got some scope to amend ahead of May 5th build.
 
warren_S3 said:
Thanks for the feedback. Agreed re people's speed, I'd never noticed until CC how much people must have an issue with people passing them as I've run up behind people at 70ish and then when pulled out to overtake I've had to add numerous dabs onto the CC stalk to pass. Once you clear them they then fall back fast. Ego is a very strange commodity!

I shall add the tech pack advanced to my order tomorrow as I've still got some scope to amend ahead of May 5th build.
Click to expand...

yeh, middle lane hoggers are the worst
 
warren_S3 said:
Thanks for the feedback. Agreed re people's speed, I'd never noticed until CC how much people must have an issue with people passing them as I've run up behind people at 70ish and then when pulled out to overtake I've had to add numerous dabs onto the CC stalk to pass. Once you clear them they then fall back fast. Ego is a very strange commodity!

I shall add the tech pack advanced to my order tomorrow as I've still got some scope to amend ahead of May 5th build.
Click to expand...

Cruise control really makes you notice how much other people speed up and slow down... ACC, not so much as you end up doing it too, but only because of them!
 
Do those of you with ACC find that people just barge into the safe gap that the ACC allows? I always find when driving along the M25 you can be safe and leave a good gap and people take advantage of that... when using CC I'm constantly having to cancel it when people barge in... I guess ACC just adjusts?
 
Yep, ACC will give pushers in a chance to accelerate away and if they don't it will re make the right gap
 
It doesn't happen very often for me, I'm usually on distance setting 2 by default, which I find plenty for most situations. In rain (or worse) I'll up the distance to 3 or 4.
 
You're all on here because you're keen on cars and motoring. It's unlikely any of you would rely on ACC but there are people out there that will switch it on and rely on it. Those who are not particularly good or attentive drivers. Come on you've all heard about the crashes in the US where some one in a camper van set cruise and went to make a cuppa?

There are those that are on their phone and veer all over the road, altering speed as they have a discussion with who ever is on the other end, just not paying attention. Those who didn't see the bend. You have seen them, you may know them......
It's these people I fear.
 
steeve said:
You're all on here because you're keen on cars and motoring. It's unlikely any of you would rely on ACC but there are people out there that will switch it on and rely on it. Those who are not particularly good or attentive drivers. Come on you've all heard about the crashes in the US where some one in a camper van set cruise and went to make a cuppa?
Click to expand...

Yep, and there are plenty of warnings all over the manual about behaving like this. A moron will manage to be a moron whatever tools you give them - giving them ACC doesn't make them any more dangerous, just means they might be dangerous in a different way. In fact, switching on and relying on it is likely to make them a lot safer than standard cruise control, or no cruise control with an unattentive driver. The ACC is very good at spotting threats and slowing down in plenty of time.

People moan about new technologies and how they are going to cause the world to go to pot all the time. It's just Ludditism as far as I can tell! Same as the people who moan that smart phones are destroying lives or some such nonsense.
 
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