In-car touchscreens are dangerous

Re:In-car touchscreens are dangerous by Spooky23 on Friday February 26, 2021 @06:34PM (#26281115)

I grew up in an area that 5-8 feet of snow annually and drove old cars in it. Don’t listen to internet nerds arguing about what a super skilled driver can do. A pile of snow pushed in front of a wheel isn’t stopping a car.

After front wheel drive, ABS is one of the major ways to improve winter driving. Not only in snow, but in black ice and similar conditions. The big issue is driving too fast and losing control and going into the ditch or a spin.

ABS makes it easier for you to know you have a problem and to avoid it. It may or may not bring you to a full stop in a shorter timeframe, but it will shed speed so you regain control.

After ABS, all season tires and AWD are the most important enhancements.

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Re:In-car touchscreens are dangerous by sebastien_b on Friday February 26, 2021 @06:55PM (#26281264)

> After ABS, all season tires and AWD are the most important enhancements

Agreed. But I would say the proper tires for the conditions is ideal, meaning snow tires in winter.

- ABS for steering control.

- Snow tires in winter ("snow boots for your car").

- AWD (or something adaptive) for traction control.

- Last but not least - driving smart (not speeding, adjusting for conditions, etc.)

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Re:In-car touchscreens are dangerous by falcolas on Friday February 26, 2021 @07:12PM (#26281374)

> After ABS, all season tires and AWD are the most important enhancements.

And slowing down. A 10% reduction in speed results in ~19% less energy for the brakes to dispel - aka a disproportionately shorter stopping distance.

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Re:In-car touchscreens are dangerous by dragosmocrii on Friday February 26, 2021 @07:04PM (#26281332)

Thanks, great points. It's true, ABS can provide helpful feedback. On several occasions I had to abort cornering and keep going straight, because I once the ABS was engaged I knew there's no way I was making the corner (this was low speed on a patch of ice covered by fresh snow).

Also, I find the electronic stability control system extremely useful for detecting black ice. A slight acceleration attempt provides instant feedback if the road is slippery, but not immediately obvious.

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