2 Mach-E Blue Cruise Fatalities

[JeffKeryk]

Just the opposite. A functional and active system will react a lot faster than a person

Are you saying there is no need for the driver to keep control of the vehicle? That's how I read the post.
I agree the driver assist systems today are incredible. They can see in 360*; no person can do that or react as quickly. But they are driver assist at best.

There was a "driver fatigue" grip for Tesla steering wheels you could buy on Amazon. It was a tight wrap grip that took the place of your hand... I thought that was crazy.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Why in the world would you do such a thing? That's crazy dangerous!

It would keep the steering wheel alert that goes off if you didn’t turn the wheel slightly every 15-30 seconds from annoying the heck out of me. The system would alert even with a hand on the wheel if you didn’t apply a slight turning motion every so often. The weight of the water bottle was just enough to let it keep the vehicle in the center of the lane and not sound the alert. My hand was still on the wheel.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I don’t know if I can support intentionally defeating a safety device like this.

I don’t need your support.

 

[JeffKeryk]

It would keep the steering wheel alert that goes off if you didn’t turn the wheel slightly every 15-30 seconds from annoying the heck out of me. The system would alert even with a hand on the wheel if you didn’t apply a slight turning motion every so often. The weight of the water bottle was just enough to let it keep the vehicle in the center of the lane and not sound the alert. My hand was still on the wheel.

I don’t need your support.

Perhaps you could have made this clear. Apologies for thinking the worst.

 

[Torrid]

I don’t need your support.

I'm not the one that said they were circumventing a vehicle safety feature that has questionable reliability.

 

[LDB]

Self-driving is an evil system and these deaths (murders?) help prove it. No intelligent person would let the car drive itself.

 

[UncleDave]

So does the system of certifying drivers themselves.

Yup - the driver should always stay ready and alert and keep their hands ready to grab the wheel if not loosely hold on at all times but the system claims hands free "blue" zone operation so people push it.

 

[alarmguy]

Yikes.

I've been playing with the free-trial Blue Cruise on my new F150. So far, it's pretty good. No glitches or problems.

I've noticed that it does not like my eyes squinted closed. But I really have to close them down to nothing before it starts complaining. With RayBan sunglasses, it seems to not care what my eyes are doing.

The lane keeping system when Blue Cruise is not engaged is another story. I can have both hands hanging on the wheel at 10 and 2, on a long straight FL road and it starts complaining, then hits the brakes twice and alarms, then puts on the flashers and comes to a complete stop. Still with both hands on the wheel.

Put another way, the lane keeping system looks for wheel motion and when there is none, like when the road is straight, it goes into protection mode right away.

Ford probably does this to get you to pay $800 per year for Blue Cruise. That's never going to happen in my household. It is not autopilot and it is super easy to drive on the highway.

A family member has a new 2024 Lincoln Navigator. in his drive from New York to the Carolina coast he kept talking about blue Cruise and how much he loved it.
It worked for him absolutely perfect and he said for the entire trip he only had his hands on the wheel may be two hours.
If I remember correctly, he had blue Cruise on for over eight hours and manually steered the car for two hours

 

[alarmguy]

We have to be realistic here.
Every year there is approximately 44,000 Highway deaths. It’s only natural that some of them will also be from semi self driving vehicles. And one of the cases mentioned in the OP the 23 year old girl was drunk or on drugs
Manslaughter charges are being investigated

 

[alarmguy]

Very sad. It's tough to blame the driver for driver error if he isn't around to tell his story. Sending prayers.

Both drivers of both vehicles with the Blue Cruise are live and well

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Both drivers of both vehicles with the Blue Cruise are live and well

So Blue Cruise is killing non-Blue Cruise vehicle owners?

 

[alarmguy]

So Blue Cruise is killing non-Blue Cruise vehicle owners?

Yes but if you think about it, no different from non-blue cruise vehicle owners killing no non-blue cruise vehicle owners. I’m not defending anything but just looking at the circumstances.

Almost in both cases, it seems that blue Cruise can’t be blamed at all
One girl was driving under the influence
And the other was a car stuck in the middle lane at night with no working lights or emergency flashes that was hit by the blue Cruz vehicle and right before that almost hit by another vehicle who swerved at the last minute

 

[JeffKeryk]

There must be a Tesla fire in there somewhere...

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

Yes but if you think about it, no different from non-blue cruise vehicle owners killing no non-blue cruise vehicle owners. I’m not defending anything but just looking at the circumstances.

Almost in both cases, it seems that blue Cruise can’t be blamed at all
One girl was driving under the influence
And the other was a car stuck in the middle lane at night with no working lights or emergency flashes that was hit by the blue Cruz vehicle and right before that almost hit by another vehicle who swerved at the last minute

So blue cruise is more dangerous than driving the old fashioned way. Good to know.

 

[Torrid]

So blue cruise is more dangerous than driving the old fashioned way. Good to know.

I would say so. Relying on sensors and cameras to make a decision while the driver daydreams and eventually has to intervene when it makes a poor decision is a recipe for disaster. The driver’s passive reaction will be delayed and may be flawed by the fact that they weren’t actively engaged in driving.

I think these driver aids that lull people into a false sense of safety and security are a huge danger to those around them.

 

[Cujet]

Are you saying there is no need for the driver to keep control of the vehicle? That's how I read the post.
I agree the driver assist systems today are incredible. They can see in 360*; no person can do that or react as quickly. But they are driver assist at best.

There was a "driver fatigue" grip for Tesla steering wheels you could buy on Amazon. It was a tight wrap grip that took the place of your hand... I thought that was crazy.

Sorry, when I post from my phone, I keep the message short.

The Ford lane assist system would be superb if it did not shut itself off constantly. It does this with both of my hands FULLY HANGING at 10 and 2 and eyes forward.

What I am saying is that the system needs a work around for now, and a software upgrade to REMAIN ON, and thereby offer the protection it can. It is not an autopilot, it is a driver assist. I don't mind keeping my hand on the wheel for it to function. I do mind when both hands are on the wheel and it puts the flashers on and comes to a stop, for no reason.

By the way, the "wiggle" the wheel requires for the system to remain on is significant, and does cause the truck to dance.

 

[LDB]

I don't have any of those problems driving my own car myself as I should at all times. Safest option available.

 

[Torrid]

Sorry, when I post from my phone, I keep the message short.

The Ford lane assist system would be superb if it did not shut itself off constantly. It does this with both of my hands FULLY HANGING at 10 and 2 and eyes forward.

What I am saying is that the system needs a work around for now, and a software upgrade to REMAIN ON, and thereby offer the protection it can. It is not an autopilot, it is a driver assist. I don't mind keeping my hand on the wheel for it to function. I do mind when both hands are on the wheel and it puts the flashers on and comes to a stop, for no reason.

By the way, the "wiggle" the wheel requires for the system to remain on is significant, and does cause the truck to dance.

I don’t know why they don’t just use a capacitive touch system. My VW is the same way. It doesn’t take a hard tug, but it does require some form of wheel movement too.

It makes me just not use it at all.

 

[meep]

My wife’s car has the lane warnings and adaptive cruise. Hers is a Toyota. The adaptive cruise is interesting. It can go from set speed to 0, and accelerate again. Set it at 50 and drive around all day in traffic 45 or below. It’s wild. And it works.

HOWEVER.

It doesn’t understand interactions with adjoining lanes as well. It seems to know not to slam on the brakes if someone “cuts in” too close - like it was tracking them prior. But it sure can get confused when some leaves my lane and decelerates hard - it absolutely stomped the brakes last week, while I had no reason to do so, making me a notable hazard for those behind me.

It’s almost easier to use dumb cruise. With automated cruise I have to anticipate its mistakes. My wife doesn’t like it.

 

[UncleDave]

So blue cruise is more dangerous than driving the old fashioned way. Good to know.

I dont believe we actually know whether it's safer than people or not on an accident per mile driven basis because from what I can find Ford doesn't publish its safety record like Benz and Tesla.