Self driving cars?

GDB2222

I actually don’t like driving much. We don’t do many miles, 2000-3000 a year, a mixture of fairly short city trips and 3 hours trips to the seaside. I find the 3 hour trips quite tiring, and I worry about losing concentration.

We will need to get a replacement car in the next few years, as ours is quite old now.

Are there any self driving features that actually work and make the drive both safer and more relaxed? I’m thinking about a system that would react more quickly than me if the car in front brakes suddenly, for example. 

oldernonethewiser

Some cars have adaptive cruise control and collision mitigation systems which help.

Don't drive to closely to the vehicle in front also helps

GDB2222

Collision mitigation sounds helpful. Do those work all the time, or only when cruise control is on?

TadleyBaggie

My old ('65) Qashqai would apply the brake if it thought I was going to have a collision. 

oldernonethewiser

The collision mitigation works totally independently of cruise control.

I turned mine off on my car when it decided to brake unnecessarily. (In my opinion)

daveyjp

Most new cars now have auto emergency braking as it increases NCAP score and it works all the time.  Some systems use radar, some cameras at rear view mirror level.

Having experienced it working 'in anger' in our Yaris the brakes were on full before I had lifted my foot off the floor to hit the pedal.

Adaptive cruise is excellent and makes for a very relaxing journey.  Set speed and distance from car in front and the vehicle maintains set speed until a vehicle is caught, it then keeps the set distance.  It also works really well in traffic queues, set it and the car just creeps along.

GDB2222

oldernonethewiser said:

Some cars have adaptive cruise control and collision mitigation systems which help.

Don't drive to closely to the vehicle in front also helps

I leave such a large gap that people are forever pulling into it.

Grey_Critic

Attractive as it might seem Self Drive is quite some way off. No matter what governments might say the motor car as we have known it for over a century will be with us for a long time,

If we were to switch to Self Drive then the advent of the EVs would have been the logical starting point but it is a fact that the infrastructure will not be in place by the target date of 2030 so how far in the future for a Reiable Safe Self Drive system to be in place?

oldernonethewiser

GDB2222 said:

oldernonethewiser said:

Some cars have adaptive cruise control and collision mitigation systems which help.

Don't drive to closely to the vehicle in front also helps

I leave such a large gap that people are forever pulling into it.

Same here. Used to annoy me but I prefer to be safe.

MikeJXE

If you find 3 hour trips tiring you best not drive a self driving anything, you will fall asleep for sure

Let me know when you go and the route so I can stay off the road 

macman

The features mentioned above are not 'self-driving' features. They are additional safety features that can in some instances act when the driver is inattentive, and prevent or mitigate a potential collision.
If you are too tired to maintain concentration, then don't drive until you are able to do so safely.