Whoa...
At first I was going to say thanks for the millennial comment in one of your comments (I *wish* I were in that age group), but then the animosity and scorn started pouring out....
Yes, I know that my regular brakes still work.
Yes, I know to keep driving like a human being.
Yes, I know where my brake pedal is located.
Yes, I know not to use my cell phone while on the highway.
And I also know that when all of the traffic around you is moving at 40 mph, that driving much slower than everyone else is just as risky as driving much faster than everyone else. (Remember those "defensive driving" classes? They're especially helpful in New England, where there are so many OFfensive drivers.)
In other words, I understand how to drive, especially in tough conditions. However, when I bought my car, I was willing to pay extra for these safety features because I know that lots of OTHER people *don't* know how to drive at those times, so I'll take any extra margin I can get to protect myself from *them*. These systems are great in that they can anticipate even before the most skilled driver does that a dangerous situation is evolving in front of them, and the car can start the braking process - hey, every millisecond counts! If someone in front of me decides to hit their own brakes too hard, or starts to fishtail and spin, and the AEB kicks in, I'm grateful that my car has this feature.
Perhaps my use of the phrase "So what am I supposed to do" was ill-advised. It had been just minutes after that AEB warning had popped up on my instrument panel while driving to work, when I got to my desk and urgently looked up what the heck that message meant (I'd just bought the car in June, so this was the first time hitting such conditions, and my last car was built when the concept of ABS was novel). And mind you, I'd called my dealer's service department, and none of the service advisors knew what it meant either, which didn’t exactly inspire confidence. So when I wrote my post, I was both flustered from having just gotten a rather alarming message on my new car, and frustrated that my car dealer didn't seem to understand my car's features much better than I did.
I know you can't stop the snow and muck from getting on the camera, but my point was just that it was an unfortunate circumstance that a safety feature could be so easily disabled during conditions when it would be especially useful.
All that said, I know you’ve all been on the forum for a long time, and have been around the block a few times. But so have I. It probably wouldn’t take too much effort to dial it back a bit on the disdain and sarcasm when responding to posts, and to try to give other users the benefit of the doubt that they do in fact have more than a few brain cells between their ears. Greysave was the only one of all respondents to my post who commented with humor and grace, an attitude with which we all prefer to be treated. Thanks.
Do what people have been doing in cars for a hundred years... put your cell phone down, watch the road, and move your foot to the brake pedal in case of emergency. It's the pedal on the left.
Millennials...
And if the roads were horribly slippery, you have no business driving 40 mph.
LOL. The prior two posts have it right. Drive your car like you normally would and don't worry about it. These added safety tools are just that....Added safety tools. They "may" help in an emergency situation but should never be depended upon to work. Think of them as an additional safety net that may help under the proper conditions.
Some drivers are reacting to these systems very much like some did to the first ABS equipped vehicles. Expectations are set way too high. By that I mean that the first people driving ABS equipped vehicles expected them to stop quicker, keep their vehicles on the road at all times when braking, etc....Even if they were on sheet ice and their tires were bald. And no, I am not exaggerating by much.
I do blame the manufacturers for marketing policies that sell these systems without explaining the limitations.
