Create accountLogin

Recent searches

No recent searches

Search options

Only available when logged in.
mstdn.ca is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
A community for Canadians, First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Peoples of the great white north.

Administered by:

Server stats:

2.9K
active users

mstdn.ca: AboutProfiles directoryPrivacy policy

Mastodon: AboutGet the appKeyboard shortcutsView source codev4.4.0-alpha.2+glitch

Wear reflective clothing to be safer while walking near car drivers?

Just kidding, turns out we built software that ignores reflective clothing.

usa.streetsblog.org/2025/01/10

Screenshot of linked article headline "Alarming Report Shows that Two Auto-Braking Systems Can’t See People in Reflective Garb" and subheadline "The safety strips are useless in the eyes of automatic braking systems on two very popular car models." Below the headline is a photo of a dummy dressed all in white, with an approaching car's headlights very close. The caption of the photo reads "This guy is likely to be safe, but no so his friend in reflective garb."
Screenshot from article showing photos of dummy wearing reflective garb being hit by a car driving at night, and a section of the article text: Pedestrians are often advised to wear reflective strips on their clothing so that car drivers can see them, but a new report says that such safety precautions are useless in the eyes of some automatic braking systems. Going, going, struck. Check out what happens to a dummy dressed in reflective strips.Photos: IIHS The worst systems were on two popular models made by Honda and Mazda. The alarming finding by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety will likely shock millions of American pedestrians ... and maybe even force change among the governmental agencies that lay the onus on them for their own safety. In the study, researchers outfitted an adult-sized dummy in black clothing, one in white clothing, one with a reflective jacket and one with a reflective strips in a configuration similar to those worn by roadway workers (though their safety gear is generally bright orange or yellow rather than black). The tests were run at 25 mph in three conditions — with no roadway lighting, with 10 lux of illumination and with the federally recommended 20 lux of illumination. Every time the test was run, no matter the lighting conditions, the Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-5 hit the dummy with the reflective strips. And the Honda hit the dummy with the reflective jacket every time, too.
Jan 13, 2025, 04:47 PM·Public·Web
265boosts·240favorites
Quiet public

@c_9 There is one kind of reflective clothing that the cars avoid...

A small child dressed as an orange traffic cone, with reflective strips around the waist and head.
Public

@c_9 Yikes. That's me at work
👷💥🚙

Public

@c_9

Ok, so no different from regular car drivers then.

Edit: I'm saying this as someone who regularly biked and skated for transportation. I never went a week without a near miss.

Edit2: I've tried out vehicles with autobraking. Not sure I would trust them with street driving, but it works really really well on highways.

*
Public

@undead @c_9 yeah that's my impression too.

my car doesn't auto brake at all. ever.

EDIT: typo

*
Quiet public

@undead @c_9 mine works too well, I have a dirt driveway and don't get to moving/weed wacking difficult edges very often. My car gives me whiplash with its braking when I'm trying to back up over weeds.

Public

@c_9@mstdn.ca dress up as a reflective red light

Public

@c_9 my car ignores those too
because my car only has regular brakes.
The above mentioned cars have the same brakes and are operated by the same human with the same responsibilities.

You know what I would consider horrible? People relying on these gimmicks to create safety. The news of the gimmicks only working sometimes is not scary to me. Assuming responsible driving and braking the system is probably a net-positive. Only when the system incentivizes letting the guard down is it a negative.

Public

@c_9
Ain't deregulation a dream come true?

Public

@c_9 It's almost as if relying on the single least reliable industry in the world for our safety has bad consequences.

Almost.

Public

@c_9

Surprised it makes a difference at all... For most manufacturers systems, they primarily depend on radar for auto braking systems and primarily use the cameras for lane keeping.

This is a sign they're seeing Tesla getting no market pushback for using crappy camera based systems, and deciding it means they can cheap out on radar the same way.

The government needs to set performance standards for these systems (and then make them mandatory & nondefeatable, like air bags).

Public

@c_9

So, bike in bright/reflective clothes so that you don't get hit? But not TOO bright, otherwise you turn invisible.

Fantastic.

Public

@c_9 Did you notice the line indicting teach-to-pass-the-test method of modern #education? Highlight mine:

"Continuous improvement is a core part of the [Mazada]’s vehicle development process, and we will closely analyze the results of IIHS’ recent non-standard pedestrian AEB testing in an effort to enhance future model performance."

Ah. If it's not on the test, we don't have to think beyond it? Lack of critical thought here—by some, not all auto companies.

Don't get me wrong, the people designing the standard #government #vehicle #test are just as narrow focused. No road worker reflective clothing required by the test suite? Is that a big cognitive leap from dark or light clothing?

Teaching how to think is much more useful than cram-and-forget.

#BoostingIsSharing

#testing#pedestriansafety#cars
*
ExploreLive feeds
About