I need your input, Moms! (Is this GOOD NEWS?)

[ShutterbugMama]

Or, a false sense of hope?  Volvo has created a "smart safety feature" for their trucks and I've been asked to write about it...BUT, before I say too much, can I ask you MOMS, who travel with the worlds MOST precious cargo, how you feel about this?

**VOLVO has created, and now offers, an Advanced Collision Avoidance feature on it's semi-trucks..what does this mean?  Well, it means that now, even a Semi on CRUISE CONTROL, will maintain safe distance between vehicles on the road.

This is Proactive Breaking, which means that the truck will slow down with ZERO driver intervention if necessary. 

What does this mean for drivers BEHIND the truck??  Anything at all?

Do you trust this feature?  Do you have any input at all on this new technology?

I'd love to hear from you.

THANKS FOR YOUR INPUT, MAMA'S!

And happy Friday!

Elle

[singedwingangel]

Mar. 20, 2009 at 10:52 AM

Ummm sorry but I would not trust a MACHINE to tell me how safe is a safe distqance. Not to mention what if the driver needs to stop and this feature overrides his braking ability?? Is he just screwed?? I mean hello they need to pay attention to what is going on around them, the last thing we need is a feature that makes it easier for drivers to multitask. My bff Ex hubby has this feature on his semi and HATES it, he refuses to use the option because when it slows down it causes the truck to jump and weave.. yeah how safe is that??

[lalisweet1]

Mar. 20, 2009 at 10:55 AM

I rather have my own control than those technologies... you know there's a bug in the computer system.  What happen when the wiring got a shorten?  What happen this and that... too many questions were snowballed.

Point is everyone has to PAY ATTN to what and where they are driving!

[mom2AJandDamien]

Mar. 20, 2009 at 10:59 AM

Technology fails. I dont care how state of the art it is. Semi drivers should be ALERT and have full control over the vehicle they are operating, instead of relying on a machine to determine it.

I am sure that Volvo means well, but at the same time I don't think I would fully trust this feature.

[Della529]

Mar. 20, 2009 at 11:08 AM

As a former owner/operator of a big truck...okay, it was a dump truck, but it still requires a Class B commercial driver license and pretty much has all of the same features, I would have to say, HECK NO!!

I preferred to drive without using the "gadgets".  To me, using what I consider the lazy features like cruise control, allow the driver to sort of lean away from their task ~ DRIVING!

[Dlp11494]

Mar. 20, 2009 at 11:10 AM

I heard about this.  I personally would rather have full control over my vehicle...  I would wonder how safe it truly is..  I suppose I would have to try it before making any real judgement about it though.

[divinity80921]

Mar. 20, 2009 at 11:20 AM

I tend to agree with Della529 on such technology encouraging the drivers to be less attentive. In that way, it's not a good idea. My other question is, do the brake lights come on when the truck auto-brakes? That's a question worth asking before you write about it - be a good reporter and find out how safe this is for the driver following the truck. And how hard will it brake when it auto-brakes? Is it a minor speed adjustment or a collision-avoidance feature? I'm not really convinced this is a good thing for driving in town, and they do have to do that.

[ShutterbugMama]

Mar. 20, 2009 at 11:25 AM

I know these answers; I'm only giving a SMALL snippet of of info to get "initial responses" to the idea.

So far, this is pretty interesting....yes?  : )

(Original Poster)

[mommabear2008]

Mar. 20, 2009 at 11:40 AM

As nice as it would be for everyone to pay attention while they're driving it just doesn't happen that way...especially for truckers who have been on the road for HOURS or even DAYS without sleep. On the one hand it is a good way to ensure that if they do fall asleep on the road they won't slam into the back of someone on the other hand that won't stop them from driving off the road anyways so what's next trucks that drive themselves too? I think that we're getting so 'technology happy' that we're taking alot of risks now and that scares me!

 I would rather think that the person in the drivers seat of that semi has total control over his truck and it's not a machine driving behind me that may malfunction at any time! It is a good feature to have, for those 'just in case' moments but there's too many 'what if's' for me to feel safe with that.

[CarlynCoen]

Mar. 20, 2009 at 11:42 AM

i think it's an awesome technology... but i don't think that it should be used as an "auto pilot" feature... i think that it should be used as an EXTRA feature along with having an alert driver... not someone sleeping in the back and just praying the truck stays on the road!

[DestMasters]

Mar. 20, 2009 at 11:47 AM

I think it's pretty cool. However, only as a back-up type feature. Not as something for the driver to utilize instead of their brains.  There are similar features on some of the larger RVs that will sound an alarm and such but they don't do the braking. 

I just envision a pissed of truck driver trying to figure out how to disengage the thing because it's not allowing him to haul butt down the road. ;)