So, shining a red light at a Nissan for long enough from the side of the road will make it think it's going through a red light and slam the breaks on of the other cars around it (assuming they have the system fitted)? Cue kids playing with torches and red gel filters. Sounds like a disaster.

Mind you, so was the shed of an X-Trail I bought without this system on board :)

Paris, because her natural habitat is around red lights.

one could pay attention to the road and perhaps concentrate on the driving task instead of fucking around with sat navs, mobile phones, audio players or the settings on an anti-collision system.

Another technology that further removes us from responsibility for our actions.

"One detector scans for traffic lights and, on the basis of what colour it sees and how long the light shines for, warns the driver to slow down to avoid a signal violation."

This could be fun, a few coloured lights at christmas, cause all sorts of fun!

"Similarly, the system will warn you if an attempt to cross a lane - you're turning right, for instance - will put you in front of a rapidly approach motor you might not have seen"

Perhaps not driving a car would be more suitable if you cant notice a rapidly moving vehicle coming towards you..

Sounds like a good idea if the technology works...to some extent, however it seems to take control out of the drivers hands! If a system like this is implemented in a car, hopefully the driver would be able to override the system if need be.

Sending data to other vehicles...sounds a little like big brother - what's to stop the car sending data to the government so they can track exactly where you drove, and how you drove - went through a red light - ticket waiting for you when you get home.

"Not my fault, Gov. The fancy 'All-Around Collision Free' controls on me car didn't work!"

Don't think it would happen? Land Rover had to rename the air-filled, auto balancing suspension system in their Discovery range from ARC (Anti-Roll Control) to ACE (Active Cornering Enhancement) in case someone actually managed to roll a Disco' with this system installed.

Note that the system was to combat cabin roll when cornering, not prevent a traction roll.

So I'm cutting my manoeuvre a bit fine but I'm gonna make it and then ...

BANG!

Computer says no, and slams the brakes on, ramming me *into* the car behind.

Nice one.

Seriously; is it just me or was anyone else thinking that this was a steering function and not a braking function?

No thank you. I don't want my car driving me anywhere. It's tough enought dealing with eating, drinking, reading, talking-on-mobe, looking-at-paper, playing-with-computer, viewing-gps, texting morons. The last thing I want is for my car to take control away from me when one of they dopey idiots aims two tons or more of metal my direction.

If you want to read more hilarity, try reading the series that being done about auto-autos on arstechnica. I don't want to live long enought to see ANY of that come about.

Many of the decent automotive technologies have filtered down from racing.

Somehow I'm not seeing this being a desired feature for NASCAR, or even F1.

{veers away from main topic}

"Land Rover had to rename the air-filled, auto balancing suspension system in their Discovery range from ARC (Anti-Roll Control)"

Consumer stupidity notwithstanding, that's just a TLA from the marketing wankers, surely? Literally, wouldn't that mean it was a system to combat roll control, i.e. "anti-roll" meaning against rolling, "control" meaning to regulate, or limit and therefore be *more* prone to falling over...? Not a great selling point.

I suppose the more accurate Anti-Roll System would be more accurate but less attractive in marketing-speak...

RR.

Good because they might as well get it over with and make the self-driving car. Bad because when I actually want to take control, you just know you won't be able to switch these things off.

How long before they are mandatory on all new vehicles?

How much weight will they add and how much criticism will that attract from the climate change lobby?

Now they can pay even less attention to what's going on around them.

Where can I buy what this is attached to? It seems to be fitted to a nice big executive saloon car, like Nissan used to make.

These days they just sell horrendous looking SUV urban assault vehicle pseudo-4x4s driven by people who cannot judge the dimensions of such a vehicle, and egg shaped people carriers.

I see a problem.

Having in the past braked for a red light, noticed the inattentive git behind lose it and then backed off a shade to shoot the light by just enough to give him the extra space needed to stop. Cue cheery wave and sheepish grin.

Presumably in Nissan's brave new world I'd have got an unwanted rear-end redesign and there'd have been sod-all I could have done about it.

On a motorway, aproaching a coned off area, or maybe an accident in lane one. The car detects you're crossing into lane two by the markings. What then? How does it know you didn't mean to do that? Perhaps if you've turned the stearing wheel it knows you meant to make the manouver. But what if the cones start on gentle left hand bend? You keep the wheel straight to go into lane two, "computer says no", pulls you back into the cones. Dead workmen, crashed car, cd's containing personal data on thousands of people scattered across the road. I can see it now.

That cars are the only road users mentioned

Pedestrians, cyclists, motorcylists: hardly damage your car enough for it to worth avoiding them obviously.

Welcome our new 4 wheeled auto Overlords.

@AC - check out the NissanUSA website to see all the nice "normal" cars they do like the Sentra, Altima and Maxima.

...I'm afraid I can't let you do that.

Motorcyclists for sure but trying to slip pedestrians and cyclists especially in as road users, how cunning. I dont know if cyclists in the UK pay the appropriate road taxes but they dont here and I think they should be banned from roads. Especially when there's a cycleway right next to the road. For some reason wearing body hugging lycra or whatever the hell it is makes these people feel entitled to use the road Im paying for, I wouldnt feel so pissed off if they got far enough off the road to let you pass but they act like they have some sort of right. Im sure they'll be included in collision control but you'd only need to be on the look out for them in car parks if they werent being a bunch of pricks.

luckily my nissan is 19 years old and if I dont want anti-skid control for example I can just pull the fuse. wonderful thing simplicity

I am sorry Dave... I can't do that...

Daisy....

Daysee...

Dayseeeeee....

D...

What happens when you approach roadworks which requires you to gradually move into another lane? Well seeing as though you're actually meaning to move into a seperate lane, you should be using your indicators........I would assume that unless the designers decided that once you're on the motorway you're stuck there forever, they put a bypass that if the indicator is on then you can switch lanes without issue.

Why all the negative responses?

Were you all there saying how bad ABS was when it was introduced?

It's an additional safety system, even near perfect drivers (like el reg readers apparently) make mistakes. If this system kicked in and saved you a bump then it's good.

As someone else already said though, how exactly does breaking stop you changing lane? It's a function of steering.

Michael Hitchins - Road Tax doesn't exist in the UK, Vehicle Excise Duty is dependant on emissions, cycles are exempt from VED as they are zero emission.

They act like they have a right to be there because they do, go back to driving 101 and stop being a danger to other road users.

I'd like to see how this system would fare on our average Mexican highway. Some roads have:

- Duplicate lane markers, which make the road look like I was cross-eyed

- Alternate routes marked ... but the original lane markers haven't been erased

- *NO* lane markers. This one is really fun, especially when done in a 5-lane expressway!

FIAT have active cruise control already, and they even put a system to warn drivers of cars in blind spots when indicating to change lanes.

Safety features bah. What was wrong with throwing an anchor out of the window ?

The end result of the extra safety features is people relying on them to cover their own stupidity.

As for my title... I drive a 44 tonner. Our company has installed trailer "tilt brakes" on various new trailers and they are a downright hazard. The system is not designed to stop a vehicle falling over because if that situation arises then it's already too late. It's to stop pallets falling over in the trailer. I guess some highly intelligent (read Brain dead) person figured that to reduce kinetics just apply the brakes. I'm sure you can visualise that jamming the brakes on the trailer whilst the unit is trying to accelerate out of a roundabout actually INCREASES kinetics. And do the brake lights come on ? I don't know, I'm trying to haul this thing up to speed not stop it practically dead mid roundabout.

Continuing on this (sorry), as a driver that HAS put a vehicle on it's side (M62-J26) anything that affects the natural (expected) balance is quite frightening ( I was accelerating away from roundabout with a copper following me, turn up slip road to join M62 east and a suspension airbag on drive axle gave way = defective drivers mirror (Lorry laying on it)).

This rant could go on but it would bore you and I'm sure you've already got the gist.

Whilst I can dig some improvements (disc brakes etc) ANYTHING that takes control away from driver is a danger.

At steve .. re: VED.

Right on !!

We have ear mounted devices that prevent us from sleeping behind the wheel.

We have GPS systems to guide us around jams.

We have handsfree sets for our phones.

We have distance sensors telling us how to park.

Does anyone just drive anymore, or is it just me!?

People who are drowsy think that ear mounted device will keep them awake.

People following GPS instructions will inevitably hit a tree or end up in a small river.

People with handsfree sets end up using them to call roadside help after causing accidents.

Women drivers (oh oh) and distance sensors... I need not say more.

And now we have another system to rely on!?

Jeez people, LEARN HOW TO F*CKING DRIVE!

How many of you are actually Jeremy Clarkson?