βIn this new car, I feel patronisedβ: which driver assistance systems actually improve safety?
Modern cars are fitted with features like autonomous emergency braking and fatigue monitoring. But do they support motorists or drive them to distraction?
This new car Iβm test-driving boasts all the latest bells and whistles β or, rather, beeps and bings. Peer sideways for too long checking traffic and the car emits an irritating sound. Should I take a hand off the wheel to scratch an ear, Iβm admonished with a strident beep.
When the car determines itβs too near a white line, it tugs the wheel against my hands and brakes as a car slows ahead. Its haptic βbuttonsβ feel like fingers pressing back β as if an invisible presence has its hands and feet on the controls: a ghost in the machine Iβm inside.
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Β© Illustration: Getty Images

Β© Illustration: Getty Images

Β© Illustration: Getty Images