Autonomous driving – Just a gimmick?

Semi-Autonomous Driving

Many of the motor vehicles we drive nowadays come with bucket loads of tech. Some of that technology is great, especially when it revolves around safety, lighting and better connectivity. However there are hordes of technology that comes across as being very “cool” but actually rarely gets used.

One piece of tech currently featuring on many premium vehicles hitting the market is autonomous and semi-autonomous driving. I’ve been using BMW’s system for the last week while driving their new 320d.

First things first, you need to get invested into the system and engrain it into your daily driving routine or it’s just going to become something you show to your friends. The system in itself is quite simple to operate, press a button, set your speed, distance and then feel confident enough to slide your feet away from the pedals. On most system,s the driver is required to touch the steering wheel every now and again just to let the vehicle know you’re still alive.

For me this system becomes really effective in slow traffic. It removes the need to make any driving inputs such as braking, accelerating and steering – which are especially mundane and frustrating when the traffic is crawling! Semi-autonomous systems in this regard work very well, they allow the driver to relax a little more and the chance of anything going wrong is reduced due to the lower speed. If you live in a traffic-laden city and spend much of your commute doing the above, a system like this will definitely improve your experience and your day. The key is, you just have to trust it!