Afraid To Use Driver+

[SoCal Rob]

I’ve had the same issue with road construction barriers where the truck would feel like it was steering towards the barrier. I take over the steering. I don’t feel comfortable using Driver+ lane keeping in construction zones. At least, not in 2023. Years from now? We’ll see.

In general, I think construction zones are a good place to distrust ADAS since the markings can be completely wrong. Even if the markings have been redone, sometimes the old markings are covered or scraped in such a way that some lighting conditions (driving into low sun is my go-to example) can make it appear that the old markings are still there, and they may even appear more prominent than the temporary markings. With the likelihood of sudden lane shifts, narrower lanes, and/or slow moving construction equipment, I prefer to do the driving in construction zones.

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[endress14]

They are finally wrapping up what seems like a never ending construction project on I-25 up in my neck of the woods (Loveland/ Longmont), so I have been thinking about giving it a try on my morning commute soon. I think my nervousness is just as much about the other drivers as distrust in the technology. Everyone is just terrible lately LOL.

Not sure if there was any re-routing involved, but they likely haven't updated the mapping yet.

 

[FrankieJ]

I don't trust any of these systems, but I do see their value if one is driving in areas that it works well. Knowing it would not do well in construction areas or where the lane markings are funky would have me very stressed out. 90% of CO has construction and faded lines

You

In general, I think construction zones are a good place to distrust ADAS since the markings can be completely wrong. Even if the markings have been redone, sometimes the old markings are covered or scraped in such a way that some lighting conditions (driving into low sun is my go-to example) can make it appear that the old markings are still there, and they may even appear more prominent than the temporary markings. With the likelihood of sudden lane shifts, narrower lanes, and/or slow moving construction equipment, I prefer to do the driving in construction zones.

Makes perfect sense.

 

[COdogman]

Not sure if there was any re-routing involved, but they likely haven't updated the mapping yet.

That's a good point. No re-routing that I can recall. Just a widening and addition of "express" lanes. Maybe I will pick a different highway to try it on

 

[Throwdown]

I have had my Rivian R1T since March 22. A few days later I tried out Driver+ for the first time on I-1O about 30 miles west of Houston. There was a bit of construction in the area but everything was going fine until the vehicle took a very sharp turn towards the concrete barrier. I had to quickly grab the wheel otherwise I might not have been around to start this thread. I noticed a few days later that the lane markers were screwed up and did in fact point towards the barrier. Driver+ and autopilot in general is more of a gimmick to me so the fact that I am paranoid to use it hasn’t been a big deal. Has anybody else experienced the same thing?

Yes one time recently it all the sudden tried to take an exit from the right lane. I use mine all the time so it didn't bother me too much, I had my hands on the wheel.

 

[Rivdog]

Construction zones have been an issue for all the ADAS systems I’ve used, albeit I’ve never tried Tesla’s. Outside of construction zones I think D+ has worked really well for me! I’m so glad we don’t have to pay a subscription for it like Ford’s BlueCruise at $800 per year or $75 per month. I think I’m in the minority here, but I much prefer D+ over BlueCruise, personally. It’s been much more consistent and reliable than BlueCruise was.

 

[SteveInBend]

Living in Central Oregon, Driver+ has never been an issue for me!

 

[lefkonj]

Never had issues with Driver+ use it all the time for the 11k miles I have on my R1S.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

I love driver +. I'm looking forward to the day when we will have auto lane change. I agree that construction zones are not a good place to use it but I can tell you that it has dramatically improved just in the last 7 months.

 

[Sevn86]

I used it a lot... except for concrete barrier with minimal space on the left, very busy and fast traffic, construction with modified lanes, unclear lane markers, and very narrow lanes.

Same, I don’t use it daily after my own near misses. I also lost driver + functionality prior to the last update. I don’t what was going on. After this recent update it’s now back.

 

[ImAI]

I have had my Rivian R1T since March 22. A few days later I tried out Driver+ for the first time on I-1O about 30 miles west of Houston.

why are you writing about it now if it took place few days past March 22?

 

[Tomgriff]

I've used it for probably 1000+ miles. Works quite well for the most part, but I treat it as an assist system (not saying that you weren't). There are some curves where it isn't particularly smooth, so I take it off auto steer although it will go through the curves. I've only "had" to intervene once on a rainy night when it took a sharp turn toward a barrier. I'm quite happy with the system and looking forward to the new update where it should reengage after lane changes.

 

[SactownD]

For me this is something that one uses only when the road is straight. The car tends to pin ball around in its lane or even depart it with corners. It also slams on the brakes when a big rig is in the adjacent lane with any corner. It is only safe if you are vigilant in any non perfect setting.

 

[vordo]

I personally love Driver+ ESPECIALLY in traffic and find it extremely useful. However I ALWAYS turn it off in construction zones or anytime the lanes get funky as you never know. But for daily commutes, long road trips, etc. I find it invaluable. I also am coming from Tesla and was used to Autopilot - my wife refused to use either.

exactly same experience- I won’t even tell my wife it’s on ?

 

[TexasBob]

I had the same issue in town here with construction and the vehicle swerving toward a barrier. Driver+ is just not that good yet, but it is fine for what it is: a lane keeping assist for open, pre-mapped highways. It is nowhere close to the capability of the FSD on our Model S and tbh it is the top reason why I am considering going back to Tesla (that plus the uncomfortable seat in the R1S). Everything else about the vehicle is awesome (except Alexa, of course!).

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