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Is it time for all motor vehicles to be fitted with a black box?

wow&flutter said:
How distracting are the large touch screen centre consoles in the new electric cars? It’s not as if you can feel your way to the correct button as you can in a normal vehicle. Are they more distracting than a standard style dash?
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It’s not just EVs. Take a look at the dash in a latest Golf R for example. A large area of dark plastic that lights up at engine start. No feedback at all for most heating etc controls. You have to look at the screen to see where the ‘button’ is, watch where your fingertip goes, keep watching to make sure you’ve got it right. Repeat.

I can drive my 2010 Merc with barely a glance at the dash.
 
To get back to the original question, I really think that drivers who repeatedly don’t stick to the speed limits should be warned one way or the other.
Can this be done by software control I don’t know, but this would be nice.
I’m also sick and tired of those Audi drivers (in France, they are always Audis, how come?) who think they can do whatever they like on the road. Well they can’t and they scare me to death to tell the truth. You know, they arrive behind you and you can see the irritation on their faces… :rolleyes:
So yes, some kind of limiter – which would also include a safety distance limiting device – sounds like a good idea for those criminal drivers who will ad nauseam tell you they are excellent drivers (of course).
 
Mullardman said:
Exactly. I was 'nabbed' doing 85 on a totally clear section of the A50..which in effect could have been almost any section of the A50, as between Stoke and Nottm. there are no crossroads, approximately 3 islands and only one set of lights.. at Uttoxeter. Of course, I broke the limit and didn't complain about the punishment, but I would still argue that speeding in a 20/30/40/50 limit in urban areas, or simply driving without considering the conditions..is far more irresponsible. Trust me.. I will never be 'nabbed' for speeding in a 30/40/50/60 limit.
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I get you, but a consequence of just 'you' and no-one else on the road isn't a fully solid argument, is it? When just 'you' has a momentary lapse of concentration at 85mph, and you crash, the knock on effect of that on other road users, the emergency services that have to attend when they could be doing something else, your family and friends that have to go through the trauma of seeing you seriously injured... I could go on.
 
chartz said:
To get back to the original question, I really think that drivers who repeatedly don’t stick to the speed limits should be warned one way or the other.
Can this be done by software control I don’t know, but this would be nice.
I’m also sick and tired of those Audi drivers (in France, they are always Audis, how come?) who think they can do whatever they like on the road. Well they can’t and they scare me to death to tell the truth. You know, they arrive behind you and you can see the irritation on their faces… :rolleyes:
So yes, some kind of limiter – which would also include a safety distance limiting device – sounds like a good idea for those criminal drivers who will ad nauseam tell you they are excellent drivers (of course).
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Think yourself lucky, here in the UK the arsoles don't limit themselves to Audis. Pickups (e.g. Ford de-Ranger) are the latest knob vehicles here.

It always amuses me that people spend collosal amounts of money on cars and then seem determined to spend as little time in them as possible.
 
Even scarier then. Those should be banned from the surface of the planet. They don’t make any sense. Who wants a 7 litre V8 engine? What for?
They are fortunately absent from our roads.
 
Andrew C! said:
I get you, but a consequence of just 'you' and no-one else on the road isn't a fully solid argument, is it? When just 'you' has a momentary lapse of concentration at 85mph, and you crash, the knock on effect of that on other road users, the emergency services that have to attend when they could be doing something else, your family and friends that have to go through the trauma of seeing you seriously injured... I could go on.
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I can’t help but feel that those who speed on the motorway will do so habitually in other areas?

Speed limits should be very simple to understand.
 
chartz said:
Who wants a 7 litre V8 engine? What for?
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Judging from the one that followed me the other day, it is used for revving "impressively" whilst sat at the lights, for driving close behind other road users with 2 wheels over the centre line and for accelerating at a red light then braking violently thereby causing the vehicle to pitch forward to about 20 deg as it comes to a stop.

So, to answer your 2nd question: to remove any last vestiges of doubt about the owner's lack of taste and decency.
 
It’s worth bearing in mind that many people with powerful cars go unnoticed. An Audi S8, for example, in the right colour, won’t draw a second look from most people, yet it’s a rocket ship. But then I suppose a forum post saying “I think I saw a 560bhp Audi today, but I can’t be sure, as it was understated and driven in a safe, legal and considerate manner” wouldn’t stir the loins of those who prefer a Daily M*** style hatred banner.
 
Tony Lockhart said:
It’s worth bearing in mind that many people with powerful cars go unnoticed. An Audi S8, for example, in the right colour, won’t draw a second look from most people, yet it’s a rocket ship. But then I suppose a forum post saying “I think I saw a 560bhp Audi today, but I can’t be sure, as it was understated and driven in a safe, legal and considerate manner” wouldn’t stir the loins of those who prefer a Daily M*** style hatred banner.
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I would estimate that >25% of the cars round here have >300 BHP and probably 10% in excess of 450 BHP.
Only about 2% are driven in a conspicuously agressive and dangerous way.

But for those 2% I would like to change my opening post suggestion to:
"Dangerous drivers should be fitted in a black box"
 
Indeed. But then I must say that in France it’s perhaps 70 % of those drivers that have such a hazardous behaviour. I see them every day on the motorway. I am overtaken by say 90 % of Audis. It’s amazing I know but true.
French drivers are pretty awful by the way – beware – and some kind of limiting device will be useful.
But I hear it’s coming next year and it will be able to read road signs too.
 
A pal of mine was driving his Polestar at around the speed limit of 50MPH when a car coming the other started to veer onto his side of the road. He could see that there was no vehicle behind the stray car so he went round the right hand side of it. The car, an old Micra, then hit the car (modern Fiesta) behind head-on.

My mate (obviously) pulled over and went back to help. The Micra driver was out on the grass verge and was conscious but in a bad way in terms of injuries to his lower half. The Fiesta driver came off better with maybe a couple of broken ribs.
The police were there very quickly (in fairness there is a police station 1/2 a mile away), the ambulance took ages - I think he said about 1/2 hour.

Seems like the Micra driver fell asleep!

Not sure if he survived, but his odds would have been very much worse if he had hit the 2.5 ton Polestar head on!
 
On topic, I'd have a recorder that also has video. Now, whether that's both front facing and also what's happening in the cab is another debate.

(ducks for cover).
 
Good Afternoon All,

Only just become aware of this thread.

Responding to the original posting - I'd say yes to black boxes.

It is a fact that some drivers in Audis/ BMW do seem to drive more aggressively than owners of other vehicles.

Yes there does seem to be an increase in utility vehicle ownership with a very high proportion of kn*bheads driving them.

My good lady wife has become quite critical of my more leisurely driving style in recent years but, as noted by one poster much earlier in this thread, it is so much less stressful for the most part.

Regards

Richard

P.S. Although far from being the fastest car on the road nowadays I do own a 1990 Audi quattro 20V.............
 
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