Does anyone know if Smart cruise control can be added at the dealer?

[WowCool]

Hi Mark_888,
I hear what you say, a friend of ours (lives in CA) has a lazy eye, each year he has to have a thorough eye exam (Eye Doctor) and goes thro' many tests on various electronic eye/vision testing machines. Once the eye doctor passes him he then still has to go through the vision tests at the DMV and then has to take the yearly driving tests..
He is a good driver, though at times when I am a passenger in his car I find myself braking milliseconds before he actually does..
I have sat with amputees, thalidomide's and various other types of disabled drivers, as expected their vehicles have been professionally modified..
I go back to my original Post, if the guy cannot judge distances whether in local driving or any other driving, he should reconsider his responsibilities...

 

[Mark_888]

Hi Mark_888,
I hear what you say, a friend of ours (lives in CA) has a lazy eye, each year he has to have a thorough eye exam (Eye Doctor) and goes thro' many tests on various electronic eye/vision testing machines. Once the eye doctor passes him he then still has to go through the vision tests at the DMV and then has to take the yearly driving tests..
He is a good driver, though at times when I am a passenger in his car I find myself braking milliseconds before he actually does..
I have sat with amputees, thalidomide's and various other types of disabled drivers, as expected their vehicles have been professionally modified..
I go back to my original Post, if the guy cannot judge distances whether in local driving or any other driving, he should reconsider his responsibilities...

Maybe the standard in CA is different than some other states. But it sounds like a person with vision in only one eye can still get a drivers license after getting an annual exam? Usually they just want to make sure your eyes are corrected to the best possible degree (glasses, contacts, etc) so long as it meets a minimum standard and there is not addition tunnel vision in the one good eye.

In any case, my original point is that if you close one eye, you can still judge distances. Try it. A person with amblyopia may "think" that their ability to judge distances is severely impaired (I think it is only slightly impaired), partly because they can't see out of both eyes to know what the difference would be. But those with two good eyes can close one and see what the difference would be with only one good eye (it mostly affects peripheral vision IMO).

As far as "braking milliseconds before he actually does" that sounds like a psychological power of suggestion in your mind that would not occur if you didn't know that your friend had a lazy eye.

 

[JasTheAce]

I think the main point the OP should be looking at is the fact the Smart Cruise, given the description of what is being looked for, doesn't even meet it 100%. I would again like to reiterate and suggest getting a car that will stop COMPLETELY with the cruise control on and automatically resume instead of a car that kicks it off at 6mph (and has to be put back on manually afterwards).

It seems like a large enough safety concern the OP should be prioritizing that already working to meet 100% of needs before worrying about the rest of the car. If there is a safety feature that is a MUST HAVE, then don't even consider a car that doesn't have it, no matter how nice/tempting it is.

 

[WowCool]

Hi Mark_888
"As far as "braking milliseconds before he actually does" that sounds like a psychological power of suggestion in your mind that would not occur if you didn't know that your friend had a lazy eye"
On this I cannot agree................On everything else I agree..
Let's hope the original Poster can get the vehicle & possibly the medical help he
needs/wants/requires................Safe Driving To All...........

 

[Mark_888]

Let's hope the original Poster can get the vehicle & possibly the medical help he
needs/wants/requires................Safe Driving To All...........

I think some are overstating OP's disability when he says "I have a lazy eye and cannot judge distance well because of it. 6 inches to 4 feet look the same to me when parking or in stop and go traffic." Even people with good binocular vision have problems like that. Otherwise automakers would not offer rear and front cameras (and sometimes side-view cameras).

Note that he says "when parking and in stop and go traffic". Even if he badly misjudged the distance (as people sometimes do), it sounds like a fender bender to me.

I bet all the drivers in this video have good binocular vision:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wT7zM8XgXQ"]Women Drivers Compilation ( - YouTube[/ame]

 

[brucemcl777]

One of the things to keep in mind is that the smart cruise automatically deactivates at about 6mph. With the issue as described I would suggest looking at a car that would stop completely then resume as opposed to one that you have to take the extra step for.

I missed one of the posts and so am behind responding as interesting technical and ethical issues have been raised.

I came to exactly the same conclusion Jas after studying what it would and would not do. It would not do any good in downtown traffic or a freeway traffic jam - or help me with parking or not hitting a brick wall or another car while parking for example. So I'll wait to see what comes out in a radar style thing for parking like the Prius has as an option for example.

I still like the smart cruise control for what it does do, I'm just now aware of
it's shortcomings as well that you pointed out Jas

 

[brucemcl777]

You could easily buy the parts used from eBay for a fraction of the numbers cited here. Then, you could probably install them all by yourself. It would probably require some dealer time to reconfigure the car to recognize that it has ACC, but maybe not.

It only takes the courage to try.

In my experience, retrofits like these are very doable. You just need to invest a little time into the research to figure out what parts are needed and how they are installed and configured. In my experience, most of these types of retrofits self-identify to the car. All that said, if I were shopping for a new car, I would not buy a car with the plan of doing a retrofit to get what I wanted. I would just buy a car with the feature originally.

As I mentioned before, I looked at doing this for my last car. My stumbling block was the price-- ACC was only offered on select European market cars. So, there was no market in the U.S. for used parts. Therefore, I would have had to have bought everything new. However, the actual installation was plug-and-play. The same with a crapload of other retrofit mods I did or helped others do.

In theory I suppose but in addition you need technical / mechanical abilitys
which I lack. Also as an option on the car it was about $1500 extra by itself but as others have pointed out adding the parts is over $4000.

I'm also not sure what the U.S. insurance companys are like but here in Canada both the DMV and insurance companys hate modifications. I wonder what the insurance company would think if i told them I added a home made
contraption to automatically brake to my car? ( at least that is how they would interpret it.) And if I hit someone while it was engaged I wonder what their lawyer would think? Not to mention a Judge and / or jury.

Sure as hell would not want to open those cans of worms especially in the overly litigatious U.S.A, (with apologies to any of you that are lawyers)

 

[brucemcl777]

That's correct. The premium & tech package iNCLUDES cruise control in Canada.

Here's my understanding - it was introduced in 2010 and was standard on the 5.0 but optional with the 3.8 until 2012 model - on the 2013 it is standard on both. (Thats what Hyundai Canada told me directly)

So Stu might have the 5.0 and Waki if you say you have it I accept that as you really can't miss it once you have seen it up close - but it's possible you got a late in year production model that they just didn't charge for it ( if so lucky you)

I'm seen 3 2012s without it that have the tech and premium - mind you 90% of the used car guys don't even know what it is or that it exists - even on cars they are selling - and I learned that firsthand.

 

[brucemcl777]

I also hope the original poster (brucemcl777) has made both his insurance company & DMV aware of his visual impairment..
"Can you imagine looking in your rear view mirror and not knowing how close or how far away a vehicle might be?" What about kids crossing the road on a dark wet night? I shudder at the thought
Sorry brucemcl777 - you owe society more responsibility....

Wowcool and Vermillion - yes you bring up a good ethical question and here's my answer - as I do consider myself an ethical person. I was looking into this because it does concern me. But I probably gave the impression it is dangerous which it is not (in my biased opinion) as long as you allow for it and adjust. Similarly to the warning on most passenger side mirrors which say "objects are closer than they appear."

I have been licensed for well over 40 years including 6 years as a professional driver in the 1970s (on the night shift by the way). I have been involved in several accidents but only one was at fault by me and that was over 35 years ago when I backed into a car in a parking lot. The last accident regardless of who was at fault was over 20 years ago.

My last 3 tickets were "failing to wear a seat belt" - the last one over 15 years ago. I have a 7 star rating from my insurance company (the highest in Ontario). As the parking lot incident was on private property I was never charged. I just paid for the damage I caused. (or my insurance company did it has been so long I can't remember.) So on the record I have no at fault accidents in over 40 years.

I am not a threat to kids or anyone else at night because I avoid driving at night except very ocassional and unavoidable highway driving. If it is raining or snowing and we have to drive at night I will let my wife drive as I do get snow blind or whatever you call it from the glare.

I have my eye examination every two years - the examiners have never had a concern over this and have not specified I must wear glasses to drive. My periphiel vision is almost perfect in both directions. It is only looking forward that is a problem. My vision in my good eye is better than the lazy eye.

I also was concerned for many years over my detiorating night vision. Then I bought a Cadillac and the book said it is normal for night vision to detiorate up to 50% from your 20's by the time you are in your 50's. I turned 62 last month.

So no I have not called attention to it with the DMV or my insurance company
who would then having had it specifically reported have to restrict my license or something just to protect their ass.

And on the subject of owing society more responsibilty driving at night raining or otherwise I would estimate 20% of drivers after 10 pm are legally impaired and about 50% after 1:00 am who are not working such as police etc. If we are going to cover our ethics I think we should also do something about them. I'm not a teetoller but I never ever drink and drive day or night. And how about the people with diagnosed ADD that they give licences and cell phones to? That one really puzzles me.

I did however come to the 4 way stop at my corner two years ago along with 3 other cars. I then watched the 3 of them collide with each other. All 3 of the other drivers had a cellphone glued to their ears. I did not know whether to laugh or cry. What should we do about that?

I have taken your posts seriously and answered them seriously so please let's not have a flame war or whatever they call it. I hate those sites that degenerate into insults and name calling.

 

[brucemcl777]

I don't think that person gave an accurate representation of amblyopia (lazy eye). If you close one eye, you can still judge distances reasonably well. The main problem is not distance judging, but peripheral vision on the side where the lazy eye is (especially if changing lanes into the side with the lazy eye). It is not illegal to drive with vision in only one eye in any state that I know of (but each state has different rules).

Here is a sample of one state I found:

"The minimum acceptable vision is 20/60 in one eye, with or without corrective lenses, and a field of vision of, at least, 140 degrees."​

You would have to experience it Mark to get the exact idea - for example I will go to parallel park and stop when it looks like I am two feet from the other car -
in the rear view mirror - then i get out and I'm 6 or 8 feet away - and rather than find out the hard way I am wrong I avoid parallel parking - and in a shopping mall will always take the forward spot not the rear one even if it means parking another 20 spots from the door.

And yes you are right about closing an eye and judging but not when dealing with mirrors - and it really helps if you have a hood ornament like the Cadillac did so you have a comparitive object to judge by - but hood ornaments are out of fashion these days. Please take these answers on faith as I have to live with it every day.

Both my eyes are fine and my periphiel vision - they just don't align looking forward all the time

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[brucemcl777]

I think some are overstating OP's disability when he says "I have a lazy eye and cannot judge distance well because of it. 6 inches to 4 feet look the same to me when parking or in stop and go traffic." Even people with good binocular vision have problems like that. Otherwise automakers would not offer rear and front cameras (and sometimes side-view cameras).

Note that he says "when parking and in stop and go traffic". Even if he badly misjudged the distance (as people sometimes do), it sounds like a fender bender to me.

I bet all the drivers in this video have good binocular vision:
Women Drivers Compilation ( - YouTube

I found this hilarious by the way - and yes I can drive and park much better than they did disability or not.

 

[brucemcl777]

Well whatever the correct medical label or actual visual acuity the Poster himself gave the problems he encounters..
The fact is when being tested for vision via the DMV documentation and subsequent medical assessment via an eye doctor, All aspects of vision are tested and checked.. The driver then has to pass the visual check at the DMV offices and subsequently a driving test with an examiner.. Whether it's judging distances and or peripheral vision a trained driving examiner can and will detect any problems...They can detect peripheral problems by the way you either turn your head or angle it a various points on the test drive. Hard or jerky braking throughout the test can offer the examiner the opportunity
to quantify distance judgement........How do I kno" this? I was a Grade One
high speed/pursuit Met Police examiner..... I also taught Advanced Driving.
Go online to the London Transport Driving School at Chiswick, London.. Watch the double decker buses run the skid pan.. All London Transport drivers have to run the Skid Pan on a regular basis..........
London Transport - Skid Patch - circa 1964 - YouTube

Wowcool - Please evaluate my driving record and driving habits as you are well qualified and I will respect and contemplate any answer you give. I certainly do not want to be irresponsible or a danger to society.

I have found this more inconvenient than dangerous over the years. The worse thing I have done is tear off my drivers side mirror when misjuding the distance backing out of my garage. Of course I am not the only one to ever have done that and I had to pay for a new one. That happened 16 years ago.

Interestingly if I had worn an eyepatch for a year or so when I was young it probably would have corrected itself. But I did not even become aware of it until in my early 20's and I already had a license. I went to apply for a drivers job with the Toronto Transit Commission and passed all their written tests. During the interview the examiner saw my eye wander and so put me on the vision machine which showed the lack of binocularity. He was the one that told me it would affect my depth perception and that I could not possibly
drive a 40' bus without depth perception.

I had an eye doctor look at it but by that age nothing could be done. As I state elsewhere a hood ornament helps a lot as it gives me perspective.

 

[Mark_888]

You would have to experience it Mark to get the exact idea - for example I will go to parallel park and stop when it looks like I am two feet from the other car -
in the rear view mirror - then i get out and I'm 6 or 8 feet away - and rather than find out the hard way I am wrong I avoid parallel parking - and in a shopping mall will always take the forward spot not the rear one even if it means parking another 20 spots from the door.

And yes you are right about closing an eye and judging but not when dealing with mirrors - and it really helps if you have a hood ornament like the Cadillac did so you have a comparitive object to judge by - but hood ornaments are out of fashion these days. Please take these answers on faith as I have to live with it every day.

Both my eyes are fine and my periphiel vision - they just don't align looking forward all the time

What I said is anyone can experience the lack of binocular vision by closing one eye. For some reason, you think everyone else (with binocular vision) can easily tell how much distance they are from other cars when parking, etc. That is not the case and lots of others have the same problems as you, even though they have binocular vision.

 

[Mark_888]

Interestingly if I had worn an eyepatch for a year or so when I was young it probably would have corrected itself.

I wouldn't say "probably," I would say "maybe." Wearing an eye patch on the good eye does strengthen the muscles in the weak eye, but often times it reverts back when the eye patch is removed.

 

[brucemcl777]

I think some are overstating OP's disability when he says "I have a lazy eye and cannot judge distance well because of it. 6 inches to 4 feet look the same to me when parking or in stop and go traffic." Even people with good binocular vision have problems like that. Otherwise automakers would not offer rear and front cameras (and sometimes side-view cameras).

Note that he says "when parking and in stop and go traffic". Even if he badly misjudged the distance (as people sometimes do), it sounds like a fender bender to me.

I bet all the drivers in this video have good binocular vision:
Women Drivers Compilation ( - YouTube

The rear camera idea is sound Mark and would eliminate the rear view mirror problem - actually the new car I've ordered will have the rear view camera with the yellow and red markers indicating whether it is safe - even my old car I added rear 4 backup sensors which work pretty well. Not sure how well it works at night but should be OK if it's infared. Besides as I stated in another post I very seldom drive at night.

 

[WowCool]

To:- brucemcl777

Sir, first let me thank you for your kind words..
I have no intention of bad mouthing anyone & will not condone anyone
that does..
The safety of You, your family and other road users is the most important aspect of my concerns..
Overall, You know your driving limitations and from what you say
"Responsibility" is always your guide......
Drive Safe & Happy Motoring.......