bicycle Vs Ram.

[RJR49]

I pulled away from a stop sign and a bicycle rider bounced off the front of my truck. Fortunately, for both of us, he wasn't injured. after it was all over I was wondering why all the fancy electronics on my 2022 Limited didn't warn me or slam on the brakes. I was thinking that maybe I had inadvertently turned that feature off. Nope no warning because I was going less than 3 MPH! WTF!

 

[mikeru]

I've never liked or trusted those types of nanny features. I turned off the FCW on our 2020 Limited because it would slam on the brakes when an emergency stop was not needed. There were also a lot of "false positives", in which the system saw the dip at the end of our driveway as an obstacle. I never experienced the <3 mph issue you talked about though. I'm of the opinion that once you start adding those types of devices to vehicles, people tend to start to rely on them too much. Then when the system doesn't do as expected people can get hurt. Thankfully in your situation no one was hurt.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Are you equally wondering why you didn't see a cyclist and react yourself?

 

[rzr6-4]

Are you really trying to blame the vehicle for running someone over? Those features MIGHT save you if YOU make a mistake, but to rely on them and then blame the vehicle when you nearly kill someone is beyond comprehension.

 

[DanAR]

I question the 3 mph thing too. Last week my wife and I were backing out of a parking space at the post office that was along a 4 lane boulevard. As I backed up and got almost parallel to the road, alarms went off from the sensors. I was barely crawling in reverse and hit the brakes and both mine and the wife’s heads were swiveling around looking for what the heck I was about to hit, or hit me. There was nothing else moving in the lot and only a couple other parked cars and I was no where close to any vehicle or anything else. We finally concluded it picked up a car passing by on the boulevard even though we were 30 ft or more off of it in a parking lot. Pretty sensitive.

They almost always sound when I’m in the outside of 2 lanes turning left at a light. It senses my wheels starting to turn and vehicles behind me in the inside lane that are still moving straight ahead just before starting to turn.

 

[tron67j]

Unfortunately, I think the systems meant to warn end up desensitizing people to the alerts. I have seen it in our van and other family vehicles where it goes of so regularly in situations one starts to 'know' that the beeping is expected and to continue. For example, the way spaces are aligned at one of our local shopping centers causes our van to always chime as we back out, due to cars next to us, every single time. Makes the alert worthless to rely on but as I am always looking around it still makes you think "What am I missing?".

For bikes around here I doubt any system would help. Some of the hard core cyclists ride with an entitled sense and ignore the laws that govern them and MVs; so many times they ride up the side and try to cut in front as one is crossing the intersection instead of holding their place in line. I could see getting rear ended by the car behind me if front facing sensors initiated emergency braking. No thanks, my truck has no sensors and it works just fine. I do all I can to be aware of my surroundings including not having my cellphone in my hands, not having a totally electronic control system for basic functions like heat, and use my mirrors. I think there is a danger of becoming over reliant on technology that exists today, so trusting it to be the primary warning of the bicycle in this thread would have been a problem.

 

[Richard B Taylor]

I hate the "nanny" features on newer cars. I even got rid of a 2018 Mazda that I bought used and only had a year because the car did things that I didn't tell it to do.

It is quite possible that the cyclist ran the stop sign as I rarely see them stop. It is still your responsibility to watch for them. In CA, they are supposed to be treated as vehicles, just like your truck.

 

[Tominator223]

10 points. Lol

 

[RJR49]

Absolutely wondering why I didn't see him! He couldn't have been more than 10' away. I would hate to think that I was so focused on cars that he didn't register. wild guess says that he was blocked by the outside mirror. I raised my seat all the way up to give me a better view over the mirror. Which has always seemed to high to me. Forget trailer position. it completely blocks cross traffic.

 

[Rlaf75]

I've never liked or trusted those types of nanny features. I turned off the FCW on our 2020 Limited because it would slam on the brakes when an emergency stop was not needed. There were also a lot of "false positives", in which the system saw the dip at the end of our driveway as an obstacle. I never experienced the <3 mph issue you talked about though. I'm of the opinion that once you start adding those types of devices to vehicles, people tend to start to rely on them too much. Then when the system doesn't do as expected people can get hurt. Thankfully in your situation no one was hurt.

I totally agree with this. People start to depend on these features then become too lazy and rely solely on them. I can't stand all of these "safety" features. The only time I use my backup camera is to get as close as possible to something when parking because my truck is long otherwise I still use my mirrors

 

[Tulecreeper]

I totally agree with this. People start to depend on these features then become too lazy and rely solely on them. I can't stand all of these "safety" features. The only time I use my backup camera is to get as close as possible to something when parking because my truck is long otherwise I still use my mirrors

When I first brought this truck home, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to disable the backup camera because it comes on even when the screen is turned off and it's really irritating seeing it out of the corner of my eye when I'm trying to use my mirrors - especially at night. I finally just ended up putting a piece of electrical tape over the lens. The screen still comes on, but it's black and I don't notice it anymore.

 

[Scottly]

10 points. Lol

20, if he had on them faggy shorts.

 

[Neomoritate]

My 2014 RAM is equipped with two safety features called a "Windshield", and a "Driver". Basically, the "Windshield" a piece of transparent glass, and the "Driver" is a human, equipped with "Eyes" and a "Brain". When the truck is moving forward, the "Driver" looks through the "Windshield" with their "Eyes", and can see whether or not there is a bicyclist in front of the truck, then the "Driver" uses their "Brain" to make the decision to stop the truck.

 

[Docwagon1776]

Absolutely wondering why I didn't see him! He couldn't have been more than 10' away. I would hate to think that I was so focused on cars that he didn't register. wild guess says that he was blocked by the outside mirror. I raised my seat all the way up to give me a better view over the mirror. Which has always seemed to high to me. Forget trailer position. it completely blocks cross traffic.

Mirror or A pillar, visibility has gotten worse as side airbags and electronics have thickened them up.

 

[mikeru]

Mirror or A pillar, visibility has gotten worse as side airbags and electronics have thickened them up.

I 100% agree with this. It's a little self-perpetuating...adding side curtain air bags makes A pillars thicker, which reduces visibility and increases the chance of an accident. But the air bags can reduce the chance of injury when you hit that car that you couldn't see because of the thicker a pillars.

 

[VOwens]

Relying on the vehicles sensors to warn of bicycles or even motorcycles is probably not the best policy. As a bicyclist I believe it is very important to ride as though I am a vehicle. Be visible and predictable. At the same time, I expect drivers to also be predictable and I will hold until I get the eye contact I need to ensure clear communication of intent by both. For either driver to not do that is an accident about to happen. That said, many bicyclists are bad behavers and that is a shame that makes us all look bad and puts many people at risk. Make certain as a driver that you understand the rolling stop rules for bicyclists at stop signs. Currently the following states have stop as yield laws for bicycles: Idaho, Delaware, Colorado (opt in), Arkansas, Oregon, Washington. The following states have legislation proposed in 2021: Virginia, New York, Colorado (making it statewide standard), California, Utah. The law sunsets in Delaware this year but may be extended. "Stop as yield" basically means that bicyclists can treat stop signs as yield signs just like we all learned back in drivers ed before we got our drivers licenses. To do that correctly though that means the bicyclist should be acting like a car in traffic and when it is their turn they can roll through the stop sign if it is clear. It doesn't apply to some yahoo riding on a sidewalk, against traffic, etc. However, if you hit and injure/kill that bad behaver the vehicle driver is going to still go through hell unfortunately.

 

[chopperdog45]

...I expect drivers to also be predictable and I will hold until I get the eye contact I need to ensure clear communication of intent by both....

I can't tell you how many times I have been on my motorcycle and gotten eye contact from a car driver, and then they pulled right out in front of me. I swear they just don't see us, even when making eye contact.

 

[chri5k]

I can't tell you how many times I have had to brake for motorcyclists weaving through traffic on the highway. Or the ones in a long line of motorcyclists who think, since the lead motorcyclist changed lanes, they have the right to change lanes so close in front me I can only see their head above the hood. I swear they just don't see that 6000 Lb truck, even when it is right next to them.

 

[Docwagon1776]

I can't tell you how many times I have been on my motorcycle and gotten eye contact from a car driver, and then they pulled right out in front of me. I swear they just don't see us, even when making eye contact.

I quit riding some 12-13 years ago and sold both my bikes. Too much traffic density, too many morons, too many guys my age with a TBI or a case of the deads. Just wasn't fun to me any longer.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Relying on the vehicles sensors to warn of bicycles or even motorcycles is probably not the best policy. As a bicyclist I believe it is very important to ride as though I am a vehicle. Be visible and predictable. At the same time, I expect drivers to also be predictable and I will hold until I get the eye contact I need to ensure clear communication of intent by both. For either driver to not do that is an accident about to happen. That said, many bicyclists are bad behavers and that is a shame that makes us all look bad and puts many people at risk. Make certain as a driver that you understand the rolling stop rules for bicyclists at stop signs. Currently the following states have stop as yield laws for bicycles: Idaho, Delaware, Colorado (opt in), Arkansas, Oregon, Washington. The following states have legislation proposed in 2021: Virginia, New York, Colorado (making it statewide standard), California, Utah. The law sunsets in Delaware this year but may be extended. "Stop as yield" basically means that bicyclists can treat stop signs as yield signs just like we all learned back in drivers ed before we got our drivers licenses. To do that correctly though that means the bicyclist should be acting like a car in traffic and when it is their turn they can roll through the stop sign if it is clear. It doesn't apply to some yahoo riding on a sidewalk, against traffic, etc. However, if you hit and injure/kill that bad behaver the vehicle driver is going to still go through hell unfortunately.

I have never even remotely heard of anything called "stop as yield" that allows the bicyclist to treat a stop sign as a yield sign, and I worked 30 years in LE. A bicyclist is to be considered a vehicle just like a car or truck. A stop sign means "Stop", not "Slow Down". Now, if the cyclist can do that for 2 seconds without putting their feet down then that's fine. If they "roll the stop", they're getting a ticket. Or they're getting run over...or both.

And I was never taught that in driver's ed when I took it in the 70's.