Where there’s a will and a wiring diagram there is often a way to disable an unwanted feature. 

You can have modern performance without always-on uplinks and there’s a few different methods.

This is why I yanked the fuse that powers the Data Collector Module in my Tacoma the moment I got it home from the dealership. Doing so disabled the Bluetooth microphone in the truck, immediately justifying my decision.

And A-DAS... 

I will be keeping my hopes firmly in the "Down" position until I see a product with a pricetag.

I love driving stick shift.

Agreed, but creating standards based on more than one variable is exponentially more difficult. It can be done, and if done well I’d wholeheartedly support it, but politicians can fuck up a wet dream. 

Increase license test difficulty and require retesting at regular intervals instead of letting people go 60+ years without proving to anyone that they still understand the fundamentals. Also, would totally get behind limiting new drivers to certain power levels, the same way Europe countries restrict new riders on…

Of course it doesn’t, because we won’t place that blame squarely where it belongs... on the fucking individual behind the wheel. It’s not just for shit like this. Every bit of ADAS is designed to compensate for an increasingly large number of things drivers used to be expected to keep track of while driving without…

Pretty sure that was the point of the joke.

I’d be interested to see some statistics about the first language of the people that have been involved in these wrecks for the last couple decades, whether it supports that idea or not. Regardless of language, from personal experience it’s not rocket surgery to look at a bridge you’re about to drive under and go,…

I’ll concede that there are likely several instances across the state that could be improved, but in the majority of cases, cases that cause websites like 11foot8.com to exist (I know that’s in NC, not NY, but still), the cause of the crash is driver stupidity.

Apparently, expecting professional drivers to read existing road signs and understand the requirements of their vehicles and how the two interact in real time is just as stupid as expecting normal drivers to do the same. For some reason we are allowing our fellow humans to become increasingly stupid but focusing on…

Takata Wins!

I wonder if the infotainment system blares “C-C-C-Combo Breaker!!” when the airbags go off. 

Tesla. Too much focus on ADAS-forward design, giant tablets, unnecessarily simple physical controls and interior design, and I don’t want to be associated with Tesla-Stans. When they first came out with the original Tesla Roadster I had a lot of hope that their designs would be Driver-focused. Damn was I disappointed…

If the system would reliably break only in emergencies, if be all for it. 9 times out of 10 it hasn't been in my experience.

They didn’t even do that in iRobot, so I highly doubt they will do that any time soon in reality. It could be done, but it won't be done and imo it shouldn't be done because the hardware and software advance necessary to make that happen are decades away.

The fact that you can still buy, register and legally drive a bone-stock Ford Model A on most roads leads me to believe that will not happen in my lifetime, thankfully.

The only way what you describe will ever work is if the tech within the vehicle can do exactly what we do better than we do it with only the…

The only thing I will give them credit for is continuing to put the center screen in the correct orientation. Everything else about that interior makes me believe they can fuck all the way off.