I have great respect for Michael van der Sande, who, as managing director of Alpine, brought the A110 to market and later oversaw JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations. His enthusiasm for Alfa Romeo SZs also endears him to me. However, my respect has grown further as he recently criticized level-one autonomous driving features in an online post, calling them “a nightmare.” Citing speed warning systems that misinterpret limits, frequent emergency braking alerts, and unwarranted steering assistance, he described these systems as “confusing, annoying and (in my humble opinion) not very safe.”
Van der Sande noted that problems are compounded by “the most ‘basic’ functions, such as air vent speed, [being] hidden on the second page of a centre screen”, creating “the perfect mix of distractions that will render the car less safe than the previous generation of cars. And most of this new functionality is annoying as hell.”
I’m pleased he’s spoken out. Many of us share these sentiments and regularly voice them. But, generally, industry professionals are more reticent. I understand their reluctance, given their responsibility to sell cars. However, given that lawmakers and those mandating this inadequate, frustrating technology aren’t listening to us, it’s crucial that they finally do—and with a loud voice.
