pp000830

I have found that as cars get taller and SUVs / Crossover's have become the norm our 993 sports cars are all but invisible to drivers of adjacent cars. I have found the blind spot for other drivers when we are near them extends to the entire right side of the car and also includes the left rear quarter of most cars.

I end up driving like a motorcycle driver, trying to make eye contact with the other drivers to make sure they see me.

I believe driver assist advancements like adaptive cruse control and lane deviation warning systems encourages absentee landlord driving behavior on the part of the driving public.

Although I believe self driving cars are dangerous the day will come when DOT accident statistics will show we have encouraged absentee driving behavior to such an extent with driver assistance features that self driving cars statistically look safer than human controlled vehicles.

It will be a sad day when the public's driving skills have degraded to the point where self driving cars look safer even though they are not safe when compared to a situationally aware human driver.

Other's thoughts?
Andy

HalfGerman

We throw thousands on extra equipment for cars, but have we changed licensing/testing at all?

My dad was stationed in Ramstein, Germany while I was in High School there ( '82-'86). I was allowed to get my driver's license at 17, took a German Fahrshule ( driving school) too. I get to the US and get" well your drivers license was not in the US, you have to take the full test, driving included". I was pissed at the time. Test was a joke, a lot easier than what I did in Germany.

With the amount of bad drivers I see, I really think you should have to take the written test every 5 yrs for renewal and for every 10 yrs the driving portion. Hopefully it would at least refresh people on the rules of the road.

In the future, there will be a time when people will be astounded when you tell them you actually piloted a car manually and did not crash.

Harold

fsa

This should be front and center. You're right on, Andy.
I wrote on this Forum in the past about how cars like ours, given the overabundance in this country of huge cars, pickups, and suv's, coupled with ever-more distracted and otherwise consumed drivers, comprises a perfect storm for accidents and undue stress behind the wheel, for all cars, certainly for smaller ones like ours.
A month in France and Germany last May, driving for 4-weeks, found near absence of larger vehicles, no pickups, very rare suv's. No one on cell phones, no one drinking or eating while driving- no drive thru food joints, even at ubiquitous McDonald's. Rare pedestrian crosswalk, people just step out, and vehicles stop for them. Drivers are paying attention. They drive faster, and get out of the left lanes except to pass.
Roundabouts in lieu of constant stopping and starting at intersections make for better traffic flow and reduced pollution.
I will stop, but could continue.
Solutions here? More driver aids, more speakers and bigger amplifiers, more cupholders, and ever more technology encouraging more distraction.
Advice I got from some here- move there. I am really considering it, actually.

user 723923490

This is the primary reason I upgraded all of my lights with Tore's LED kit + extra brake lights. When I hit my brakes you can see me from space. I also run with my headlights all the time. Texting drivers scare the crap out of me.

WhiteCab

It will be a sad day when the public's driving skills have degraded to the point where self driving cars look safer even though they are not safe when compared to a situationally aware human driver.

I live in NorCal. That day is already here.

_snowbird_

Autonomous cars will become far safer than piloted cars not because we're choosing distraction over driving. When each car is linked and knows exactly the "flight path" of all other vehicles in the vicinity, you can improve traffic flow and improve safety.

I agree with the earlier point. The next generation of kids will be astounded that in the old days, every car had a mind of its own. And that shock will be valid.

But I will always be an enthusiast who chooses to pilot a car - at least sometimes, even if only for kicks.

race911

Nor Cal or South Bay/Peninsula?

Been driving around here since '78, when things WERE unpopulated. Now, with 25-30K mi/yr. split between a couple of old pickups, the 996 Turbo, and a BMW sedan all over the place from Oakland to Roseville (the two houses) plus the business operating in Eastern CC Co. I don't have problems. I just do my thing. Avoiding traffic, however..........

EMBPilot

uhhh painting with a magical broad brush here.

being driven around some of busiest cities on this globe inside China, Japan, India, and parts of Europe. The above is hardly the case. There are still trucks, distracted drivers, cell phones, and dummies in general.

SpeedyC2

I am in complete agreement with this!

The days of the RUSH song "Red Barchetta" are not far away, and I'll look forward to driving my "old machine" and dodging "gleaming alloy air cars" for years to come...

goofballdeluxe

Between texting, DUI, overdeveloped sense of entitlement and a lack of regard for others, that sad day past long ago.

Self driving cars would be far safer compared to the current American driving public; automated cars wouldn't cause the 30,000 totally preventable deaths attributed to driver error each year.

As a society, we've failed in our responsibility to maturely handle a car. We'd rather sit back and text. Automated cars are the answer, sad to say.

Quadcammer

Eh, the first three may be different. Also in major urban centers drivers tend to be a bit more crazy.

that said, spend some time on highways in italy, france, or germany and you'll quickly and clearly see the difference. Their driver training and attitude to driving is top notch.

centerpunch

I think DRL's are a good idea, especially for small or hard-to-see cars like ours, so I rewired my fog lights so I can use them without the headlights.

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...eadlights.html

I just leave the fog light switch on, and they come on automatically when I start the car. (Fog light switch still works, so you can turn them off when you want stealth mode.)

nile13

In other news, I find that 2 plus 2 equals four.

David993S

I think you're exactly right on all points, Andy. I especially agree with the concept of needing to drive our cars very defensively as if we were riding a motorcycle. Much more so these days than 15 or 20 years ago. Unfortunate and sad, but true.

One of my biggest concerns is being rear-ended by a texting teen/20-something - especially when I'm in the 993 or 360.

fsa

I did the same as Allan above. LED front driving lights on as DRL's, and added additional LED's to the unused rear lenses earmarked for rear fog lights(Europe). My car is Basalt, harder to be seen than yellow, white, and others- even if paying attention.