Driver Aids

The Genesee Valley Chapter of BMW Car Club of America regards driver assist systems as too unpredictable.

Like it or not, autonomous vehicles are on the way, and much is being done to study their integration into the world's transportation networks. As part of its own development of driver assistance systems, General Motors has begun to look driver behavior behind the wheels of self-driving vehicles; innovations like Cadillac Jonathon Ramsey

A true driver's car can seem to know exactly what the driver's thinking, but that's really not the case. Right?

The honchos at VW decided that Park Assist (PA) wasn't enough. That's where the car parallel parks itself while you twiddle your thumbs behind the wheel, and when the Fasten Seat Belt sign is extinguished you can get out and go on about your business. The latest development from VW is called Park Assist Vision (PAV), and it will park the car for you in any kind of spot -- parallel or perpendicular -- and you don't even need to be in the car.

For those who think this is shaping up to be an exciting F1 season, next year should be a stunner. The FIA has confirmed that traction control will not be allowed in 2008. With traction control about to be banned from F1, Formula One Drivers are split on the decision. Most have said they support the move, but most racers will usually say they prefer fewer electronic aids getting in the way of pure mechanical feel and control of the vehicle. At this level of performance, however, the drivers ofte