Companies can use grand words to describe fairly ordinary products. But David Brown says that this is now happening with safety issues.
Many cars, including some utes are called GTs for example when they are nowhere near Grand Tourers.
We generally accept some marketing hype. But what about issues of safety.
The America Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that many people overestimate the capabilities of cars that have assisted driving features. Tesla’s system is called Autopilot but people have died being over confident in its ability.
Other names included in the survey were Nissan’s ProPilot Assist, BMW’s Driving Assistant Plus, and Audi’s Traffic Jam Assist.
The Consumer Reports organisation called for Tesla to drop the name Autopilot three years ago and they are now calling for an inquiry.
David’s boyhood passion for motor cars did not immediately lead to a professional role in the motor industry. A qualified Civil Engineer he specialised in traffic engineering and transport planning.
What followed were various positions including being seconded to a government think-tank for the planning of transport firstly in Sydney and then for the whole of NSW. After working with the NRMA and as a consultant he moved to being an independent writer and commentator on the broader areas of transport and the more specific areas of the cars we drive.
His half hour motoring program “Overdrive” has been described as an “informed, humorous and irreverent look at motoring and transport from Australia and overseas”. It is heard on 22 stations across Australia. He does weekly interviews with several ABC radio stations and is also heard on commercial radio in Sydney.
David has written for metropolitan and regional newspapers and has presented regular segments on metropolitan and regional television stations. David is also a contributor for AnyAuto
Welcome to Overdrive, a program that probes the issues of motoring and transport. You can find more information at Driven Media or previous programs are available as podcasts on iTunes or Spotify. OR our Facebook site OverdriveCity [Read More]
There are many benefits to owning a car. Getting from A to B, on your own time and on your terms are one. Convenience is another. There’s freedom in being able to jump in and drive, and not have to get crammed in like cattle on a train or tram. [Read More]
Companies can use grand words to describe fairly ordinary products. But David Brown says that this is now happening with safety issues.
