genec

Bottom line, if the driver cannot tell if their vehicle is on or off... that person probably should not be driving. . Maybe Darwin is doing us a favor? 'nuf said

jefnvk

Agree completely

Milton Keynes

I didn't want to sound heartless, but I was totally thinking this. Anyone too dumb to leave their car running in their garage probably needs to be removed from the gene pool. Like I said, it's not even about looking at the instrument panel, unless you're hearing impaired you should still hear the engine running (and if you are hearing impaired you should feel the vibration) and why would you shut the garage door with the engine on?

Again, I think it's people just relying on so much of our technology to be automatic that they stopped relying on themselves to manually control things. Eventually we'll get to the point where HAL will refuse to open the pod bay doors and we won't know what to do.

berner

There is the idea of too much tech to the point it is distracting. As just one example, the has been in recent years a series of collisions involving naval vessels. These days, many vessels, even private yachts down to about 30 feet long, are loaded with electronic displays showing a vast array of navigational information, In navy ships, the crew is highly trained in the use of that equipment. Even some years back, a submarine off Hawaii surfaced under a Japanese fishing boat that then sank with loss of life. It is difficult to see how such a mishap occurred unless no one was paying attention, much the way a driver texting is more involved in the texting than driving.

My sense in all this, and admittedly I'm of quite different generation. is there is a frenetic flow to modern life where many people are trying to cram as much activity as possible into the shortest span of time. Inevitably, a great deal of life will be missed along the way..

ThermionicScott 

Judging from the article, it's mostly people who've already made their contribution to the gene pool, soooo....

mr_bill

genec

Good one!

Why reinvent the wheel... yeah, no doubt someone is going to push for more "automatic" technology for cars so they can detect that they are in a garage, the owner has walked away, and the engine is still running... will probably cost hundreds of dollars to add this to cars... will have unintended consequences... such as not being able to warm up a car in a cold garage on a winter night (car will think door is shut).

Meanwhile a $20 item, sold in any hardware store and mounted just inside the entry way into the house at the garage, will do the trick.

Of course, being situationally aware might help too... But that's just too much to ask of a person who is driving 2 tons of metal around on public streets... right?

Milton Keynes

Actually, according to the article linked in the OP, the technology exists and is fairly cheap to add to cars:

mr_bill

genec

"I have got to get the bat cave wired for CO." -- Bruce Wayne.

MoAlpha

I-Like-To-Bike

Too much actually, but then again, such supercilious trash talk does makes some smugsters feel so darn good about themselves.

Oneder

Any car that requires a poison detector of some kind, no thanks. Hilarious anyone would even suggest it.

genec

None do... if the driver is aware of the condition of the vehicle... vice going off in a distracted daze... a condition for which I wouldn't them driving either.

It really all comes down to the driver paying attention to what they are doing.

Milton Keynes

Unfortunately that seems to be out of the question to ask of people, and we have to develop technology to protect people from themselves. Not that I'm against saving lives, but pull your nose out of your phone and have a little bit of awareness of your surroundings and what you're doing, FFS. This is almost as bad as those totally distracted parents who "forget" that their child is in the back of their car and leave them there during a hot summer's day. Because I suppose posting that all-important selfie you took while driving to instagram or facebook is far more important than the safety of your children.

Oneder

It's like inviting my friend over for lunch, then the second I turn my back he murders me, then blaming me for not paying attention. I really can't understnad what planet people like you and mister bill live on where it's acceptable to add in a pointless feature which comes mandatorily and which accidentally kills people on a regular basis.

Milton Keynes

Not exactly, it's more like taking the knife out of your friend's hand before turning around. That being said, I'm not really a fan of pushbutton start, either. What happens when the battery in your key fob dies and you can't get the car started to drive to the store to get new batteries?

Oneder

Things like this are why they make it. They are basically DRM for cars that will break after 5-10 years and make it uneconomic to keep using the car.

mr_bill

genec

You use the hidden old fashion key, buried inside the fob to manually open the door. The car recognizes this entry method as "emergency" and allows use of the vehicle.

Dead Key Fob? You Can Still Unlock and Start Your Car | BestRide

All that info is buried in the 400 or so page manual that comes in new cars... of course said manuals also tend to end such sections with "contact your dealer..."

Of course you could just ride your bike to the store and get a new battery...

jefnvk

They use a passive RF system. I have a key for my Fusion that is chipped with no battery whatsoever. Hard to tell the difference between it and the door only key that won't start the car, except the black handle is a bit bigger.

I-Like-To-Bike

More bicycling wisdom, advocacy and ethics from BF A&S's Holy Roller choir.

KD5NRH

Even on an all-mechanical dash, the tachometer, oil pressure gauge and others should be a part of your constant scanning. Any of those showing non-zero readings when you think it's shut down should be cause to check what's going on.

Again, it's past time to have every state model its DL training and testing on FAA pilot licensing. Memorized and tested flows, including emergency procedures, checklists and real penalties for unsafe operation are way overdue.

Rollfast

Never a problem with any of my old cars. My Duster had a distant relative named CHRISTINE who was quite the femme fatale.

I-Like-To-Bike

Mirrors should be part of your "constant scanning" too, when you are driving.


When stopped and parked in your garage? Not so much.