To hate that the car decides how to drive?

[Pouffeycat]

I got a new car last month. I have been driving to work and back and not much more. But I have noticed that the steering has been pulling at certain points. I thought maybe it wasn't aligned properly...
It pings at me if I am not in the centre of a marked lane.
Last night it slammed the brakes on when something ran over the road in the dark.
I live rurally.
I don't like not being in charge of the car.
I have been driving for 30 years and have never had any accidents.
I feel unsafe in this thing.
If someone had been behind me last night in a non smug car,there would have been an accident. I wasn't being safe, because the car took over!
Looking online it seems they make it hard to turn the systems off.
Am I just a dinosaur that needs to get with the technology?

[Soontobe60]

@LaurieFairyCake

I don't understand AT ALL how the insurance for this works if it brakes for you to prevent you running over a squirrel but the car behind SLAMS into the back of you

Insurance would find YOU in the wrong - yes, I know you're supposed to leave a safe distance to the car in front but if they've got a camera and it sees you emergency braking from 60>0 for a squirrel YOU will be found at fault !

If a car behind you slams into you when you brake suddenly, it means the car is too close.

[Polis]

I took part in a trial for completely automated cars.

That was stressful, and frustrating.

[premicrois]

If your lane assist keeps pulling you then you are not driving well. I never switch mine off and there are a couple of parts locally where the road splits from one lane to 2 where it will activate but aside from that it doesn't affect the drive at all.

[Newnamefor23]

“I have been driving for 30 years and have never had any accidents.”

That may be true but if the car is taking over it thinks you are pretty close to having an accident.

I’ve a friend with a Golf. She’s always driven worryingly close behind other cars - whether it be in town, the open road or motorways.

So were out in this new Golf and I feel the brakes go on suddenly a few times - phew thinks I - pleased she noticed - but’d rather she held back a bit.

Later in the day she made a comment about the car and so when I got back I looked up its spec. Automatic brakes, controlled by radar in the front grille.

She later complained about the car trying to kill her. No, I thought, its trying to keep you, and others, alive.

[WonderingWanda]

That sounds very annoying op. My car has one of those engine stop start features when you stop moving which is great from an environmental point of view. Except that it kicks in before the break pedal is pressed and when it happens you lose the power steering so it's actually very dangerous, especially if in slow traffic going slightly downhill. It's also sluggish to kick back in so again if you've stopped to turn when on a downhill then the car will roll quite some distance when you lift your foot off the break before you have control of the steering again. I have to turn it off all the time. I should add my dh's car has the same feature but it is much quicker on his car and doesn't cause me any problems when I drive it.

[rc22]

I have lane keep assist on a new car I got a couple of weeks ago. I drive to work on rural roads that are almost single track and it tries to pull me into the centre of the road whereas I like to stay to the left to get out of the way of oncoming traffic more easily. I have worked out how to switch it off for that!! For other driving it doesn't bother me too much and I'm hoping it will be quite useful for motorway driving.

[PeaceLilyCactus]

I got a new car in January and I hate Lane Assist. I have to switch it off every time I start the car. I asked the dealer if I could permanently disable it and he said no because it’s a safety feature.

[BungleandGeorge]

Turn the lane assist off, it’s only really useful on dual carriage ways where you might drift.
perhaps check the settings for the auto break. Either it’s over sensitive or you’re not driving very well

[BungleandGeorge]

@WonderingWanda

That sounds very annoying op. My car has one of those engine stop start features when you stop moving which is great from an environmental point of view. Except that it kicks in before the break pedal is pressed and when it happens you lose the power steering so it's actually very dangerous, especially if in slow traffic going slightly downhill. It's also sluggish to kick back in so again if you've stopped to turn when on a downhill then the car will roll quite some distance when you lift your foot off the break before you have control of the steering again. I have to turn it off all the time. I should add my dh's car has the same feature but it is much quicker on his car and doesn't cause me any problems when I drive it.

Are you driving a manual car? How can it kick in before you’ve pressed the break? And it should be putting your foot on the accelerator that kicks in the start? Have you had the car in for testing?

[RedChooChoo]

I hate all the assist features in my car, I can't even get on my parents driveway because of the manoeuvre assist, literally slams on the breaks when I try to go up as it's a steep slope. Yet get up it no problem with it all turned off. I very nearly had an accident with lane assist and "accident avoidance" when I was trying to overtake someone on the Motorway so I permanently disabled it. Not safe at all. My DHs old car had automatic breaking too which felt very weird and I did not like that either. The only thing I don't mind is park assist, but I can actively decide to use it or not.

[premicrois]

My car has one of those engine stop start features when you stop moving which is great from an environmental point of view. Except that it kicks in before the break pedal is pressed and when it happens you lose the power steering so it's actually very dangerous,

It's stop start. It stops when you stop and it starts when you dip the clutch. If your engine is cutting out before you have even begun to brake I would suggest you are in the wrong gear or your car is faulty.

[premicrois]

@BungleandGeorge

Turn the lane assist off, it’s only really useful on dual carriage ways where you might drift.
perhaps check the settings for the auto break. Either it’s over sensitive or you’re not driving very well

This is really weird bc OP actually must be 'drifting' for it to active. So perhaps OP is safer with it on.

[eurochick]

"This is really weird bc OP actually must be 'drifting' for it to active. So perhaps OP is safer with it on."

Not so. It will "assist" to steer you back into your lane if, for example, you are overtaking a parked car and need to cross the centre line. You can override it by steering firmly but I hated it and turned it off.

I don't mind the assisted breaking in my car. It kicks in rarely and usually when the car in front is close (and I am aware of it but I don't mind the check!).

[iaapap]

All you lot saying lane assist is great - when you overtake a cyclist and give them plenty of space, lane assist tries to pull the steering as it thinks you are asleep or drunk or whatever. I hate lane assist and it is scary when it starts pulling the steering when you are being safe.

[Oakbeam]

Turn the lane assist off, it’s only really useful on dual carriage ways where you might drift.

I think it is a good idea. At least it will actively encourage more people to indicate when changing lanes on dual carriageways and motorways.

[QuintanaRoo]

I turned the LKA off in mine.

luckily I don’t have emergency breaking but I do have a collision alert thing and it’s a bloody liability. It’s probably gone off needlessly about 15 times in two years (never actually needed it), big flashing light and an alarm which makes me jump.

Luckily never to the point of swerving, etc. but it seems to not like it if I “slaloming “ round parked cars when there’s cars on both sides of the road. So road can be empty, nobody else about, I have to pull out to go round a parked car and then slightly further up there’s another parked car on the other side of the road and before I get chance to pull back in it’s alarming like a crazy thing. If it had automatic breaking it would probably break when there’s no need 🤷‍♀️

[QuintanaRoo]

And I turned the lane assist off because there’s a three lane roundabout near me where the lane markings cross lanes……you literally can’t take an exit without crossing lines. My car couldn’t cope with it and was always trying to pull me into a different lane! Dangerous!

[premicrois]

@iaapap

All you lot saying lane assist is great - when you overtake a cyclist and give them plenty of space, lane assist tries to pull the steering as it thinks you are asleep or drunk or whatever. I hate lane assist and it is scary when it starts pulling the steering when you are being safe.

This is why we have indicators.

[premicrois]

@QuintanaRoo

And I turned the lane assist off because there’s a three lane roundabout near me where the lane markings cross lanes……you literally can’t take an exit without crossing lines. My car couldn’t cope with it and was always trying to pull me into a different lane! Dangerous!

Bloody hell how fast are you going round the roundabout for lane assist to be active?

[premicrois]

@eurochick

"This is really weird bc OP actually must be 'drifting' for it to active. So perhaps OP is safer with it on."

Not so. It will "assist" to steer you back into your lane if, for example, you are overtaking a parked car and need to cross the centre line. You can override it by steering firmly but I hated it and turned it off.

I don't mind the assisted breaking in my car. It kicks in rarely and usually when the car in front is close (and I am aware of it but I don't mind the check!).

Not if you use your indicator it won't.

So either OP isn't indicating when driving round parked cars/cyclists or OP is drifting.

Either way if OP was driving correctly the lane assist wouldn't activate.

[Oakbeam]

This is why we have indicators.

Exactly!

[WonderingWanda]

@BungleandGeorge it's automatic. I might not have worded it clearly, it kicks in before the break is fully depressed to the floor and it's a heavy car so will keep rolling and the engine will cut out.

[Blossomtoes]

If someone had been behind me last night in a non smug car,there would have been an accident.

And it would have been the other driver’s fault. I really like the auto braking, it means I’m less likely to kill someone if they shoot out in front of me. I really can’t understand anyone disliking safety features. I’ve been driving for 35 accident free years but I know I’m not infallible.

[Pouffeycat]

Thank you for all the replies.
The lane assist only every seems to happen on rural roads. And I can see that the braking feature could potentially be a real asset.
I have checked the manual and have found out how to deactivate. As a pp said it has to be done every time the car is started.
The car is the same model and make as my previous car. Just 2 years later they have added all the driver assistance. Never mentioned by the dealer.
Anyway. I have learnt a lot here!

[Oblomov23]

Are you saying that if you indicate, then land assist won't kick in? Helpful. I didn't know that. Thank you. Will indicate more.