Cited on HN 6 times, 2016–2019, never outright recommendedscore 0
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN uses it as a real-world test of anti-collision systems in discussions of Tesla Autopilot and self-driving safety.
A Fifth Gear segment in which Tiff Needell tests autonomous emergency braking systems in the Mercedes S Class, Volvo V40 and VW up!. The cars are driven toward an inflatable dummy car to see how each system performs.
“Here's a road test, from 2013, of three anti-collision systems.[1]” (HN, 2018)
It's surprising that Tesla made that choice. BMW's anti-collision system is on even during manual driving.[1] BMW will brake even if the driver is pressing the accelerator. So will Volvo. Top Gear compares the various systems as of 2015.[2] Volvo did best; Mercedes didn't stop soon enough and hit the dummy car. VW's city car only does this up to 18MPH. Maybe Tesla has a false-alarm problem that BMW and Volvo have overcome. More to the point, this behavior needs to be standardized, or people shifting from one car to another will do the wrong thing. The National Transportation Safety Board is working on this.[3] In a few years, anti-collision may be as standard as anti-skid is now. [1] [link] [2] [this video] [3] [link]
Top Gear/Fifth Gear style comparison of anti-collision systems.
Another user linked a Fifth Gear video testing the auto-braking systems in Volvo/Mercedes/VW cars. In it, they say the auto-braking systems only engage by braking hard at the last second specifically so you don't get blasé about it as if it were a smooth controlled braking. It's not a mode you want to use because it really feels like you're going to crash. [this video]
Tests auto-braking in Volvo, Mercedes and VW cars.
There are a bunch of ways you can test the systems apart from just looking at fatality numbers. Here's a TV show testing auto-braking systems for example. [this video] You could easily extend that to a test track with all sorts of stuff self driving cars find hard - oil spills, diversions, people / animals / plastic bags jumping out and so on.
TV show testing auto-braking systems as a model for testing.
A lot of cars have Lane Keep Assist and Automatic Cruise Control, but most are not nearly good enough to rely on. Yes. Here's a road test, from 2013, of three anti-collision systems.[1] These things are all over the place on performance. As many Tesla crashes and deaths have demonstrated, Tesla's system won't stop for stationary obstacles. (Road barrier, street sweeper, stalled car, fire truck - the list goes on.) There needs to be a minimum performance standard for these things. A reasonable minimum goal is to mitigate collisions down to a 35MPH difference or less. With seat belts, air bags, and crush depth, almost anything below 35 MPH is survivable now. [1] [this video]
Road test of three anti-collision systems showing wide performance variation.
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