Collision Avoidance In Winter

2021 Freightliner with collision avoidance.

Twice now I’ve had shadows set it off and it brakes so hard it would have put me through the windshield if not for the seatbelt.

Has anyone had this happen in winter? I’m thinking this crappy system could easily put you into a skid.

Im wondering about the same on mine, I havent driven in winter yet. I have a 2020 Kenworth t680. Its got the Bendix Wingman system. It gives about 10 to 15 false negatives a day until I got the radar recalibrated...then it dropped to about 3 a day. I know in their systems for various auto manufactures there have been several lawsuits from it happening, although I didnt find out the outcomes of the cases. It was a known issue as far as I understand.

Im wondering if a personal injury attorney would have a case with it. PTSD from traumatic repeated trauma. How many Gs of force are we absorbing when it does it, unexpectedly. Our wrists, hands, back, neck, knees all taking tremendous forces instantly. Sooner or later, probably sooner, its going to cause catastrophic crashes. I dread when I get a super trucker tailgating me, especially in partially cloudy and sunset areas like New Mexico on 40. It does it at nearly every overpass if the sun is at a certain angle.

This is another good reason not to tailgate. I've always been worried that if I were to tailgate, the driver in front of me would slam on their brakes just to teach me a lesson. Now it's not just the driver we have to worry about, it's the truck itself.

I've hated the collision avoidance systems from day one, for the same reasons you mentioned. Seems to me that an accident is bound to happen when the brakes are applied at the wrong time, and unexpectedly.

Having them recalibrated will indeed help. Sensitivity levels can get out of whack, causing false alerts. My Prime truck had to be recalibrated twice. Luckily, the trucks at my current gig have never hit the brakes on me.

The best way to combat these problems, short of recalibration, is to anticipate when it will occur and outsmart it. When you're coming up on a curve, overpass, or shadow, slow and be ready for it.

In some ways it may even make you a safer driver by making you focus on even more potential hazards, even ones computer generated.

Like it or not, these systems are something we'll be stuck with. The accidents caused by false alerts are probably completely offset and outweighed by the amount of accidents avoided .

There really is no way to outsmart it. Some shadows it slams on the brakes, some it doesn’t. My old truck I could simply override it with the accelerator, but that doesn’t work now.

And when I say slams on the brakes, I mean so hard it bottoms out the front springs. The first time it happened I thought a caliper ripped off or something.

But yes, the system will save your ass in an emergency. If you haven’t heard the horn start blowing on its own, you’ve never experienced its full power. It’s pretty impressive.

I've hated the collision avoidance systems from day one, for the same reasons you mentioned. Seems to me that an accident is bound to happen when the brakes are applied at the wrong time, and unexpectedly.

Having them recalibrated will indeed help. Sensitivity levels can get out of whack, causing false alerts. My Prime truck had to be recalibrated twice. Luckily, the trucks at my current gig have never hit the brakes on me.

The best way to combat these problems, short of recalibration, is to anticipate when it will occur and outsmart it. When you're coming up on a curve, overpass, or shadow, slow and be ready for it.

In some ways it may even make you a safer driver by making you focus on even more potential hazards, even ones computer generated.

Like it or not, these systems are something we'll be stuck with. The accidents caused by false alerts are probably completely offset and outweighed by the amount of accidents avoided .

There's definitely a problem if it's doing it that often. Your company should be able to look at the telemetry and see that it's acting up. I'd have them fix that ASAP, before something bad happens.

I guess I’ma little confused? I thought those systems were only active in that sense when cruise control was being used?

I guess I’ma little confused? I thought those systems were only active in that sense when cruise control was being used?

Nope. I almost never use the CC and these "safety" features will still kick in sometimes. The Collision Avoidance warning is the message I get most often on the dash, usually in construction areas, or in tight alleys behind some Walmart stores

I guess I’ma little confused? I thought those systems were only active in that sense when cruise control was being used?

Nope. I almost never use the CC and these "safety" features will still kick in sometimes. The Collision Avoidance warning is the message I get most often on the dash, usually in construction areas, or in tight alleys behind some Walmart stores

I guess it depends on how each company sets up the system then. Our trucks have it but if you’re on the pedal, you only get lights and buzzers.

As far as Prime truck goes the systems are all related using the radar on the front of the truck. The adaptive cruise control will slow my truck down if I approach a vehicle going slower than my set cruise control speed and if I get closer than 300 feet. The radar will also trigger a distance warning if I'm going faster than the vehicle in front of me and I get under 300 ft. This waring comes up even without the cruise control on. If, based on the Telemetry, an object is so close and going at such a slow speed, or stationary, the collision warning will trigger by either a red triangle or applying the brakes in varying degrees.