Lane Centering Trickery

[corradoborg]

Spot on! It is NOT a replacement for paying attention. I too am an instrument rated pilot. When I flew more frequently I would engage the auto pilot at 200’ AGL on the way up and disengage it at 200’ AGL on the way down. By no means is it a replacement for my attention. But I can set my hands in my laps and MONITOR with less DOING.

Congrats... you've discovered what BlueCruise is for. But if you go attaching weights to the steering wheel to defeat the system's safety features, that's akin to throwing the flight manual out the window and using autopilot in situations it was never intended for. On top of that, the (effectively) 2D world of driving has many orders of magnitude more obstacles in the way than the 3D environment of the sky... especially the strictly controlled airways of instrument flying.

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[Jimrpa]

This.

One of the most tiring I did as an airline pilot was a fully automated landing. The actual degree of monitoring required in all hands free driving is neither easy to maintain nor relaxing imo.

I can't speak to automated landings, but I've found BlueCruise to be much less tiring on long drives. I've used it to drive to Detroit, Florida, and Newfoundland. in the old days, I'd arrive at the end of a day's driving tired and burned out. I now arrive a lot more energized, as if I could go on for another couple of hours. Obviously, I'm watching the road and trying to remain engaged in the traffic environment, including taking over if I think the situation is too complex for the system to safely handle.

 

[Jimrpa]

As an aside, I think Ford and other companies charge for driving assistants because the market allows, just like they used to for many features that are now "standard".

I would hope that they're charing a subscription because they're improving the system over time (even if just adding roads). As long as they're doing something to improve the system over time, I don't mind paying for it.

 

[txhippiefish]

Has nothing to do with paying for BC. I have a multi-year subscription. It’s not about using it on surface streets with lots of curves, 90 degree turns and traffic that’s complex to navigate…not to mention traffic. This is for roadtrips on open highways outside the BC network while staying fully engaged in the driving process and mentality with my hands in my lap but at the ready just like BC. Y’all are way over complicating this and making it into an extreme experience that it’s absolutely not.

 

[NY_Cade69]

Should have bought a 2024 and added a Comma...

 

[corradoborg]

Has nothing to do with paying for BC. I have a multi-year subscription. It’s not about using it on surface streets with lots of curves, 90 degree turns and traffic that’s complex to navigate…not to mention traffic. This is for roadtrips on open highways outside the BC network while staying fully engaged in the driving process and mentality with my hands in my lap but at the ready just like BC. Y’all are way over complicating this and making it into an extreme experience that it’s absolutely not.

Yes, we understand. You want to be able to defeat the safety systems so you can risk your life and others' on two-lane undivided highways where one wrong move by the car, and you not being quick enough to correct it, could result in a head-on collision with a combined speed of 160 mph. There's a reason why BlueCruise only goes hands-free on divided highways.

 

[Phil-Springs]

Yes, we understand. You want to be able to defeat the safety systems so you can risk your life and others' on two-lane undivided highways where one wrong move by the car, and you not being quick enough to correct it, could result in a head-on collision with a combined speed of 160 mph. There's a reason why BlueCruise only goes hands-free on divided highways.

I think we all hope no one gets hurt with this explicitly non compliant behavior. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-024-03403-9

 

[ChehRob]

Res that 160 mph closing of two cars, 80 mph on a country 2 lane road is reckless. I hope the poster didn't have this in mind.

 

[Londonboy49]

One of the first things I do before setting off is turning lane centering off.

 

[txhippiefish]

One of the first things I do before setting off is turning lane centering off.

The hater replies are annoying enough…this reply is downright pointless! Why not just scroll on?

 

[NY_Cade69]

The hater replies are annoying enough…this reply is downright pointless! Why not just scroll on?

Because we're not a certain Cabinet. We're called a Forum for a reason...

 

[txhippiefish]

Because we're not a certain Cabinet. We're called a Forum for a reason...

Another waste of bits

 

[NY_Cade69]

Another waste of bits

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[Tampamike]

I feel strongly both ways.

 

[SCP31]

I know I’m not the only one that’s considered a weight of some sort to trick the lane centering for enhanced autonomy (but still monitored) outside of Blue Cruise zones. What are we using? My first thought is a neck, bean bag, snake like thingy. Just now thought of a sock with BBs! What ya got?

I have discovered that holding the bottom of the steering wheel with one hand, using my thumb and two fingers will keep lane centering working without lighting up the dash. Moving your hand away from the bottom center of the steering wheel will establish enough pressure. You have to fiddle with the location of your hand to get the optimum position that will keep lane centering engaged without tiring out your hand. You only need to generate about 1 or 2 psi of pressure. I discovered this because I have carpal tunnel syndrome and driving with my hands at 10 and 2 will work for about 20 minutes and then my fingers go numb. Experimenting with different ways of gripping the steering wheel led to this discovery.

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