zak wrote:
Do you drive one hand,esp on a bend?
I certainly do drive with one hand on the wheel and the other on the transmission controls in the situation I described - and it's entirely safe and appropriate. For that, I could drive in some situations with no hands on the wheel because the ruts would keep me on track. FYI, I do this sometimes because I've lost track of where the front wheels are pointing and doing this lets the castor and ruts sort it out for me so that I don't get unwelcome surprises when the ruts end and the front wheels regain steering.
zak wrote:
Such a system is already being tested in Sweden.
I do hope that they test it under all conditions and not just on summer tarmac.
zak wrote:
(It is an offence to drive with one hand,you are not in proper control of the vehicle,the steering wheel is designed for two hands.)
No, it is not an offence to drive with one hand. It is an offence not to be in proper control of the vehicle - which is impossible if some moronic robot disengages one of your primary controls (i.e. the drivetrain).
zak wrote:
Such a device does not take away your control of the car,or take away your rights etc of freedom.it is a safety device that will remind you that you are driving without proper control.You will not lose control,the car will just slow down and prevent you from driving in such a sloppy and dangerous manner.
It most certainly does take away your control. In the situation that I described, the results of losing drive could be fatal - particularly if there were rocks at the bottom of the descent. I need my left hand on the shift or transfer box lever to fine-tune my descent by switching between first and second, by operating the difflocks, and suspension settings to suit changes in terrain. Trust me, the last thing I need when descending a steep incline where application of the brakes would put me out of control is to have the drive disengage because it would be difficult to cope with the resulting runaway.
However, on reflection, it would be even worse if I was recovering from a failed ascent. I can imagine it now - select reverse, let off the brake, one hand on the back of the passenger seat with the other on the wheel, move backwards a metre or so under engine braking and the drive disengages. The result would almost certainly be nasty - possibly even a roll-over.
The whole idea is dangerous. Even on tarmac the situation could still arise where you lost drive in a situation where that was dangerous. If such a system is fitted it can malfunction - and I can't see a way of having the system fail safe.