Re:How the Dutch created a casual biking culture
by hfdgiutdryg on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @09:15PM
(#17864439)
I’ve stopped peaking over my shoulders ever since I’ve gotten a car with a bunch of sensors and cameras.
When I ride in newer cars, I'm always surprised at how poor the outward visibility is. Front pillars have gotten enormous in order to house airbags, and the rear pillars seem to always be absurdly think with tiny, useless corner windows (for crush/rollover strength?). It's no wonder that you're more dependent on technology.
Re:How the Dutch created a casual biking culture
by magduf on Wednesday August 29, 2018 @12:57PM
(#17869780)
Yes. Front pillars are thicker both for airbags, and also for crush/rollover protection, and rear visibility is bad because the beltline has increased, for crash protection and also for aerodynamics. Basically, cars now are MUCH safer than they were 10-20 years ago with these changes, but like anything, there's a price to pay, and it's visibility.
Luckily, rear cameras and radar sensors give me much better visibility now than I ever had with older cars that had more glass.
Re:How the Dutch created a casual biking culture
by Cthulhu_ on Wednesday August 29, 2018 @03:59AM
(#17866533)
Yeah that's a bit shit nowadays; I've almost hit a cyclist at a roundabout the other day because he was behind one of the pillars, staying behind there thanks to the combination of his and my speeds. Always check twice.
Re:How the Dutch created a casual biking culture
by seanmcdirmid on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @10:01PM
(#17864754)
That is totally true! I’ve noticed that even if did turn my head, I wasn’t seeing much compared to the last car I bought twenty years ago. The rear window is also much smaller than I’m comfortable with, but the sensors make up for it.
Re:How the Dutch created a casual biking culture
by lagadu on Wednesday August 29, 2018 @03:51AM
(#17866489)
> (for crush/rollover strength?)
That's correct: a car's roof (or rather the pillars that hold it) has to be strong enough to not get crushed in case the car gets flipped. That's why pillars are so thick nowadays.
Re:How the Dutch created a casual biking culture
by underwater on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @06:34PM
(#17863542)
What car has sensors that can detect bikes or pedestrians? My Subaru has rear radar, which is great at detecting vehicles that I literally can’t see, but I would never trust that to alert me to bikes or people.
Re:How the Dutch created a casual biking culture
by seanmcdirmid on Tuesday August 28, 2018 @07:52PM
(#17863974)
Mine detects pedestrians and cyclists easy enough. This is 2016 Acura sense, with both side and rear sensor packages. There is also the backup camera, which works really well, but I’m generally get the pedestrian warning before they enter my camera or mirror range. I still turn my head while backing up, it’s when I’m changing lanes at speed where the sensors really start to change behavior (where there is a cost to looking back and not forward).
I wonder how much driving will change with technology before we get full self driving cars?
But ya, the USA still sucks for bikes. It’s not just the cars, but that you are in the same road with the cars in the first place. Netherlands is much better in that regard, with bike trails everywhere and intersections heavily engineered with an eye towards cyclist safety. Not to mention the laws are heavily biased toward cyclists.