Collision Avoidance System.

[Tom B]

A few days ago I approached a tee junction to emerge onto a main road. I arrived at the give way line smartly, but not at daft speed and stopped at the line.

Travelling along the main road was newish Volvo Car, possibly a V90. My first thought was the driver massively over-reacted and slammed on pulling up to a halt resulting in the car behind him giving him a cheeky blast on the horn. The old fella driving gesticulated in my direction and suggested that I was the number 1 best driver he had seen that day. I gave him a wave and pulled out before he set off again which I don't think improved his day.

My first thought he was just overreacting and panicked, but pondering it, I began to wonder if the Volvo was fitted with some sort of collision avoidance system that stepped in?

Being someone who is rather parsimonious when it comes to cars, my vehicles are too old and basic and don't have such systems?

But I'm curious? Could these systems have caused this reaction by detecting my car. It very nearly resulted in a collision to the rear of the Volvo. The junctions is a bit odd in that it's quite wide where the give way line is, but the throat is narrow and people parkin the throat meaning I was approaching the give way line at more of an angle than usual.

 

[oxoman]

Quite possibly if it wasn't deactivated. My mate has a kia ceed and entered a parking space at the same time another car entered a parking space in front of the one my mate was going into, both cars stopped as they detected wrongly a head on collision. One had to stop whilst the other parked up, they both laughed about it at the time, put my mate off his car till i showed him how to deactivate it. Newer 25 model year cars cannot be disabled. There was some talk of it included max speed limits.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

It’s entirely possible, if the angle of view of the Volvo’s radar made it appear you were about to cross its path.

The collision avoidance on my car for that situation would do the same thing. Nearest similar event I’ve had is a car pulling out of a petrol station well ahead on my left and my car hit the brakes hard. I honestly could have continued at my speed and still missed the back of it so I went into the settings and dialled the sensitivity right back.

However, the cross traffic collision avoidance while parking, front and rear, is great

 

[DaveReading]

Or he just thought you weren't going to stop ...

 

[markemark]

Or he just thought you weren't going to stop ...

I see that often when or bike or car. The perception and recall of the events the oncoming driver and the OP might not match reality. As for the car behind the Volvo, they are not the innocent party here either. They should be driving at a speed and distance they can cope with an emergency stop of the car in front.

 

[Tom B]

Or he just thought you weren't going to stop ...

That was my first thought. I did arrive at the give way line faster than usual, faster than was ideal, but then I'm usually accused of driving like Miss Daisy. But stopping was never in doubt, of course I knew that and if I suddenly appeared in his view from behind the A pillar then he could have been startled.

I'm the "everyone makes mistakes.... ive certainly made a few" sort of person who doesn't get wound up by people doing stuff driving.

I'm bothered about this, more curious.

The (over) reaction was strange and notable, especially as the car came to a dead stop for a few seconds before driving away. My passenger (who usually drives like it's stolen) also remarked.

Do these auto systems need a second or two for the brakes to release or need to be reset with a button or something?

 

[Tom B]

Quite possibly if it wasn't deactivated. My mate has a kia ceed and entered a parking space at the same time another car entered a parking space in front of the one my mate was going into, both cars stopped as they detected wrongly a head on collision. One had to stop whilst the other parked up, they both laughed about it at the time, put my mate off his car till i showed him how to deactivate it. Newer 25 model year cars cannot be disabled. There was some talk of it included max speed limits.

Which I suppose begs the question if one could maliciously cause the system to activate on passing cars.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Which I suppose begs the question if one could maliciously cause the system to activate on passing cars.

I’ve read of folk deliberately cutting into traffic ahead of Tesslas as they know its collision avoidance system will cause it to brake and leave a big gap. Don’t know how true it is.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Do these auto systems need a second or two for the brakes to release or need to be reset with a button or something?

They almost certainly do. The emergency braking is just one feature that activates when the crash avoidance sysetem cuts in. A whole slew of anciliary safety features either kick in or are primed for early deployment.

Our VW has a momentary pause if it comes to a full stop post CA activation

CA is a fantastic safety feature, as is rear cross alert.

Not yet had a car with active side avoidance.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Do these auto systems need a second or two for the brakes to release or need to be reset with a button or something?

Not on my car (Kia Niro EV).

 

[Time Waster]

Can you actually say that this nearly caused a collision from behind or was it the actions of the driver behind that nearly caused a collision? What I mean, was the following driver too close or did not react to what was ahead of him? I just thought that whatever the car at the front did the driver behind has to be prepared to act should something unexpected happen. It was still his responsibility to not hit the car in front.

Sorry to digress from the subject of the thread but I just wonder how easy it is so slip into an attitude where the driver of a car is not responsible for what happens. We all probably, without thought, excuse drivers for what could or did happen when the reality is that the driver has their responsibility in the incident or near incident. If that makes sense. The speeding car or the driver is speeding? The car caused the accident but the cyclist caused it. That sort of use of words / attitudes.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

CA is a fantastic safety feature, as is rear cross alert

It’s fab. Mine alerts me to pedestrians, cars or cyclists approaching from either side as I emerge from a space in a car park. It will stop the car if I don’t react to the alert.

 

[Tom B]

Can you actually say that this nearly caused a collision from behind or was it the actions of the driver behind that nearly caused a collision? What I mean, was the following driver too close or did not react to what was ahead of him? I just thought that whatever the car at the front did the driver behind has to be prepared to act should something unexpected happen. It was still his responsibility to not hit the car in front.

Sorry to digress from the subject of the thread but I just wonder how easy it is so slip into an attitude where the driver of a car is not responsible for what happens. We all probably, without thought, excuse drivers for what could or did happen when the reality is that the driver has their responsibility in the incident or near incident. If that makes sense. The speeding car or the driver is speeding? The car caused the accident but the cyclist caused it. That sort of use of words / attitudes.

Digression is what we love here...

Of course the driver behind would have been at fault for not reacting or leaving sufficient gap.

It's a split second glimpse, but it was certainly close, I think the vehicle behind was a sprinter van, so possibly didn't have the braking performance of a new Volvo on emergency mode.

In any event any collision avoided is a successful. I think the following cars were caught unaware by the sudden slowing and stopping at an area you usually expect vehicles to be accelerating or simply proceeding.

I'll bet nobody's speed exceeded 25mph.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Or he could have been wearing the wrong shoes. I don't normally drive in walking boots but I recall one occasion when I did and for the first 10 min or so I was really heavy footed on the brake until I'd recalibrated my feet.

But my bet is he simply wasn't looking, then saw you at the last moment, over reacted, then got angry with you for existing.

 

[DCLane]

I've got it on the Honda CR-V. Honda's systems seem to be a bit panicky and try to stop for any warning. However, it can also be turned down rather than just on/off - that's been helpful.