I was in my friend’s new car, and the “advanced” cruise control would raise/lower the speed, depending on what signs it saw.
We were travelling along a 30 zone, when his car detects one of those “this vehicle is limited to 60mph” signs that show a miniature speed limit sign in the back.
The car recognised this as a road sign and tried to accelerate up to 60 in a 30 zone. Crazy.
My dad’s car also has the sign recognition, although all it does is beep at you and eventually try to brake when you exceed what it thinks the limit is — it isn’t integrated into cruise control.
A frequent problem he has is leaving a motorway service station (where the car park has a 5mph limit), and joining the motorway where there isn’t a national speed limit sign for another 300 metres or so.
He speeds up to join the motorway, and his car goes crazy with him, beeping and bonging constantly. Then it tries to brake, from 70mph, on the motorway.
Maybe those two are outliers, but I’m very hesitant to trust this tech.
@TheGrandNagus
Your descriptions are odd in these respects:
The speed is set for drivers as well as devices _after_ the (pair of) signs giving the limit are passed. It is usually difficult to overtake an HGV travelling at 30 in a 30 zone
The same system I described sets a distance to follow a vehicle in front.
So, no.
Regarding passing through a car park, and then accelerating to join a motorway is essentially the opposite of cruising. I suggest one should drive there.
Resume, later.
The speed is set for drivers as well as devices after the (pair of) signs giving the limit are passed. It is usually difficult to overtake an HGV travelling at 30 in a 30 zone
It wasn’t a HGV, it was a British Gas van, pulled over outside of a Co-op, rather than driving along the road.
Cars/vans/lorries being parked isn’t an unusual usecase. Most vehicles spend the majority of their time not being driven.
The same system I described sets a distance to follow a vehicle in front.
So, no.
Again, it was a parked vehicle, no cars were ahead on the road. So it started accelerating and, had my friend not intervened, it would’ve went up to 60. I don’t know what speed he was going when he applied the brakes, but it was noticeably more than 30.
Regardless, even if there was a car ahead, the car would’ve accelerated up until it was a set distance behind that car ahead (i.e. speeding in the meantime), and if the car ahead was speeding, so then would your car using this system.
Regarding passing through a car park, and then accelerating to join a motorway is essentially the opposite of cruising. I suggest one should drive there.
Resume, later.
As explained, this isn’t under cruise control. It is behaviour when the car is driving with CC disengaged.
It still recognises signs (or doesn’t!), beeps at you if it believes you’re speeding, then after a time forcibly brakes.
There is an option to turn off this behaviour, but it needs to be done every time the car is started, and it’s tucked within a stupid menu in the infotainment.
@TheGrandNagus
Interesting.
Mine behaves well.
I wonder if we should restrict the display of anything that might reasonably be taken for a speed limit sign, on vehicles and beside roads. Meanwhile there’s a speed limiter mode on the ones I’ve had, which is distinct from cruise control, and doesn’t regulate itself up or down.
(If there is a de-restriction sign ahead, I am in a speed-restricted area. Perhaps that sign should be moved down the access lane, or a limit other than 5mph posted?)
In my experience, it works very poorly.
I was in my friend’s new car, and the “advanced” cruise control would raise/lower the speed, depending on what signs it saw.
We were travelling along a 30 zone, when his car detects one of those “this vehicle is limited to 60mph” signs that show a miniature speed limit sign in the back.
The car recognised this as a road sign and tried to accelerate up to 60 in a 30 zone. Crazy.
My dad’s car also has the sign recognition, although all it does is beep at you and eventually try to brake when you exceed what it thinks the limit is — it isn’t integrated into cruise control.
A frequent problem he has is leaving a motorway service station (where the car park has a 5mph limit), and joining the motorway where there isn’t a national speed limit sign for another 300 metres or so.
He speeds up to join the motorway, and his car goes crazy with him, beeping and bonging constantly. Then it tries to brake, from 70mph, on the motorway.
Maybe those two are outliers, but I’m very hesitant to trust this tech.
@TheGrandNagus
Your descriptions are odd in these respects:
The speed is set for drivers as well as devices _after_ the (pair of) signs giving the limit are passed. It is usually difficult to overtake an HGV travelling at 30 in a 30 zone
The same system I described sets a distance to follow a vehicle in front.
So, no.
Regarding passing through a car park, and then accelerating to join a motorway is essentially the opposite of cruising. I suggest one should drive there.
Resume, later.
It wasn’t a HGV, it was a British Gas van, pulled over outside of a Co-op, rather than driving along the road.
Cars/vans/lorries being parked isn’t an unusual usecase. Most vehicles spend the majority of their time not being driven.
Again, it was a parked vehicle, no cars were ahead on the road. So it started accelerating and, had my friend not intervened, it would’ve went up to 60. I don’t know what speed he was going when he applied the brakes, but it was noticeably more than 30.
Regardless, even if there was a car ahead, the car would’ve accelerated up until it was a set distance behind that car ahead (i.e. speeding in the meantime), and if the car ahead was speeding, so then would your car using this system.
As explained, this isn’t under cruise control. It is behaviour when the car is driving with CC disengaged.
It still recognises signs (or doesn’t!), beeps at you if it believes you’re speeding, then after a time forcibly brakes.
There is an option to turn off this behaviour, but it needs to be done every time the car is started, and it’s tucked within a stupid menu in the infotainment.
@TheGrandNagus
Interesting.
Mine behaves well.
I wonder if we should restrict the display of anything that might reasonably be taken for a speed limit sign, on vehicles and beside roads. Meanwhile there’s a speed limiter mode on the ones I’ve had, which is distinct from cruise control, and doesn’t regulate itself up or down.
(If there is a de-restriction sign ahead, I am in a speed-restricted area. Perhaps that sign should be moved down the access lane, or a limit other than 5mph posted?)