Lane keeping assist - A cautionary tale

[keithwalton]

I'm not sure if the following is a result of a recent software update, a change in the road / conditions or the fact I usually turn lka off as part of the start up routine.

However everyone should be aware of the following and turn lka off when not driving on motorways or dual carriageway.

This all started with the loaner focus (auto) I had as a cover car, but I reproduced the same thing with the Mustang on the same road.

The conditions -

- Night time
- UK average regular out of town road.
- Road is wide enough for traffic in both directions but not by much
- Road has solid white lines on either side to denote edge of road, it does not have a dashed line in the centre, this is common in the UK on narrower roads.

The issue -
Whilst driving down this road it is normal to drive nearer the centre of the road (but still on your own side) when there are no other vehicles about which is most of the time.

In the event of a car coming the other way you slow down and pull over closer to the edge to make enough room to pass no matter what the other vehicle does.

Both Fords decided that I was drifting out of lane and attempted to steer the car back into the middle of the road.
Right into the path of the oncoming vehicle which it hadn't noticed.
It took quite a bit of force to prevent this.

If I hadn't of fought it the car would of driven itself into a head on collision.

I thought it was a one off but on the same stretch of road both cars did it three times. Then I tested it without an oncoming vehicle and let it pull the car into the middle of the road.

This is quite frankly dangerous, and on one occasion the focus flashed up pre collision assist and then let me take control again or even tried to steer the same way as I was.

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[Starship Enterprise]

Any system that grabs the steering wheel from you is ridiculous. I turn all that shit off. Also emergency braking is dangerous.

Motor Trend tested cars where they automatically violently braked to a stop just because a truck was coming around the bend in its own lane, and the car perceived it as an oncoming object. These systems beg for head on collisions and rear enders.

 

[ValhallaNitePony]

I agree these systems are not really ready for "prime-time". They just aren't intelligent enough about those kinds of situations. It's one of the reason why companies have struggled with driverless/autonomous cars - there are too many situations like this that a human intuitively knows how to deal with, that a computer struggles to understand. They will get there eventually from a tech perspective but it's unfortunate that all of the manufacturers have to adopt this stuff to keep up with each others' features even though they're really not good enough today. And it can be a safety issue as you point out.

I gave the lane-keeping system a couple of days in my Mustang before I turned it off for the very same reason you are talking about - there is a narrow road near my house that I drive on every day and I had the same situation as you. After once or twice it became obvious the car did not understand why I needed to slow down and move over and it was never going to. At least on my car, I am able to turn it off and it stays off. If yours resets each startup then that would be extremely annoying.

 

[Alex381]

I had “full self driving” for about 6 months of the 4 years I owned my Model 3 Performance. Autopilot was exceptionally good at keeping the car centered in the lane in almost any conditions. FSD was incredibly good keeping the car in a safe position in the lane, moving away from Semi-trucks and other commercial equipment and moving to the outside a bit when on a small roadway with no median like you described. It was incredible, but on about a dozen occasions in 4 years it swerved suddenly or did some other dangerous action I would not have done myself.

Ford’s system on the mustang isn’t even in the same universe. In my experience with it, it will wait until I’m close to a line and then hug the damned line. So it actually pulls the car closer to the center line. Its incredibly dangerous. I turned it off and have never looked back.

For clarification, I have a manual transmission and I know the system works slightly differently if you have an automatic, but I would never trust Ford’s implementation.

 

[jawsr101]

I have had a few issues where I need to cross center line because of a cyclist or a pedestrian and the car “fights” back but not enough to mater. I am actually surprised that lane assist works without center yellow and edge white line. Mine will tell me it is not available on some roads with really faded center lines.

 

[smurfslayer]

I would imagine it performs poorly on "B" roads in Ireland and Scotland too, where there's really only enough room for a sub compact + a bicycle.

 

[Dxm]

It's best to use it only temporarily, when cruising, if you need to reach into the glove compartment or get your sunglasses for a minute. that's it.

 

[Alex381]

It's best to use it only temporarily, when cruising, if you need to reach into the glove compartment or get your sunglasses for a minute. that's it.

It’s not suited to that at all nor is that the intended use. It’s meant as an aid when you’re actively paying attention to the road and it isn’t even good at that. It is 100% not safe to use if you’re not paying attention for any length of time.

 

[Starship Enterprise]

I don't even know what the stupid feature is for....who's dozing off driving a Mustang?!

 

[Trella]

I'm not sure if the following is a result of a recent software update, a change in the road / conditions or the fact I usually turn lka off as part of the start up routine.

However everyone should be aware of the following and turn lka off when not driving on motorways or dual carriageway.

This all started with the loaner focus (auto) I had as a cover car, but I reproduced the same thing with the Mustang on the same road.

The conditions -

- Night time
- UK average regular out of town road.
- Road is wide enough for traffic in both directions but not by much
- Road has solid white lines on either side to denote edge of road, it does not have a dashed line in the centre, this is common in the UK on narrower roads.

The issue -
Whilst driving down this road it is normal to drive nearer the centre of the road (but still on your own side) when there are no other vehicles about which is most of the time.

In the event of a car coming the other way you slow down and pull over closer to the edge to make enough room to pass no matter what the other vehicle does.

Both Fords decided that I was drifting out of lane and attempted to steer the car back into the middle of the road.
Right into the path of the oncoming vehicle which it hadn't noticed.
It took quite a bit of force to prevent this.

If I hadn't of fought it the car would of driven itself into a head on collision.

I thought it was a one off but on the same stretch of road both cars did it three times. Then I tested it without an oncoming vehicle and let it pull the car into the middle of the road.

This is quite frankly dangerous, and on one occasion the focus flashed up pre collision assist and then let me take control again or even tried to steer the same way as I was.

Dear keithwalton. Maybe when driving on very narrow UK roads which are not as common in the US, in an auto that is primarily designed for US standards. It would probably be safer to rely on your own instincts and experience than relying on AI to control the vehicle. As much as people think AI is practically infallible, it seems that it is as easy to confuse as humans. Enjoy your Mustang. Hope you have some open areas where you can really cut loose and appreciate your Pony Car. Sincerely VAT. "Semper Fi"

 

[Gregs24]

Dear keithwalton. Maybe when driving on very narrow UK roads which are not as common in the US, in an auto that is primarily designed for US standards. It would probably be safer to rely on your own instincts and experience than relying on AI to control the vehicle. As much as people think AI is practically infallible, it seems that it is as easy to confuse as humans. Enjoy your Mustang. Hope you have some open areas where you can really cut loose and appreciate your Pony Car. Sincerely VAT. "Semper Fi"

It has nothing to do with relying on AI!

You clearly didn't read what Keith wrote. The car is type approved in the UK and Europe and tested on our roads.

 

[Gregs24]

It's best to use it only temporarily, when cruising, if you need to reach into the glove compartment or get your sunglasses for a minute. that's it.

You are mixing up Lane Keep Assist and Lane Centring

 

[Gregs24]

I don't even know what the stupid feature is for....who's dozing off driving a Mustang?!

It is mandatory on all cars in Europe

 

[Gregs24]

I would imagine it performs poorly on "B" roads in Ireland and Scotland too, where there's really only enough room for a sub compact + a bicycle.

Probably fine as on country roads there are few line markings

 

[Gregs24]

Any system that grabs the steering wheel from you is ridiculous. I turn all that shit off. Also emergency braking is dangerous.

Motor Trend tested cars where they automatically violently braked to a stop just because a truck was coming around the bend in its own lane, and the car perceived it as an oncoming object. These systems beg for head on collisions and rear enders.

I have been driving cars with AEB for 15 years or more and never has it violently braked for a truck in it's own lane. In fact they rarely activate and when they do it is often for good reason.

LKA is hopeless I agree.

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