Weighted Steering Wheel for (Mostly) Self Driving?

[lucidtouringman]

Came across this YouTube video about making this Toyota not ding every 7 seconds to grab the steering wheel...has anyone tried this? Is it safe? Legal? Any issues? I'm tempted to try it but seems like you're defeating a warning system which I'd rather not defeat....but still curious what others think...

 

[joec]

Give it time. Lucid is said to be working on "hands-free" HA, to be released soon. It'll use the camera behind the steering wheel to be sure you are paying attention to the road.

 

[tjhappel]

You should take the video down, it just tells people how to cheat a system and can be very very dangerous if used inappropriately.

 

[Bus Driver]

Came across this YouTube video about making this Toyota not ding every 7 seconds to grab the steering wheel...has anyone tried this? Is it safe? Legal? Any issues? I'm tempted to try it but seems like you're defeating a warning system which I'd rather not defeat....but still curious what others think...

It’s not legal, and I should state unequivocally, it’s not safe. You use these devices at your peril, and that of other motorists sharing the road with you. Nevertheless drivers have been fashioning autopilot defeating devices since the days of the old “orange trick”, employed on the early Tesla Model Ss.

Every once in a while autopilot defeating devices show up on amazon, only to be taken down again once discovered.

 

[californiaboy935]

It’s not legal, and I should state unequivocally, it’s not safe. You use these devices at your peril, and that of other motorists sharing the road with you. Nevertheless drivers have been fashioning autopilot defeating devices since the days of the old “orange trick”, employed on the early Tesla Model Ss.

Every once in a while autopilot defeating devices show up on amazon, only to be taken down again once discovered.

I’m not sure their illegality has been codified. But I think it’s a bad idea… if you drive carefully like @Denali_Dane used to do with his Tesla I’m sure it’s fine. Would just get rid of the annoying af alerts. Which I will say have improved greatly with more Lucid updates.

 

[Denali_Dane]

Yah i only use to do it to eliminate the annoying beeps and pay attention notifications. I would barely jiggle my wheel but it would either be too much or not enough. So autopilot would kick off.
I always paid attention and kept my hands on the wheel. I would find it so annoying that I would just drive manually everywhere.

 

[HC_79]

Yah i only use to do it to eliminate the annoying beeps and pay attention notifications. I would barely jiggle my wheel but it would either be too much or not enough. So autopilot would kick off.
I always paid attention and kept my hands on the wheel. I would find it so annoying that I would just drive manually everywhere.

They’re annoying for a reason and are mandated by law, so circumventing them is illegal, regardless of how you try to justify it.

 

[californiaboy935]

They’re annoying for a reason and are mandated by law, so circumventing them is illegal, regardless of how you try to justify it.

“A product intended to circumvent motor vehicle safety and driver attentiveness is unacceptable,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King said in a statement. “By preventing the safety system from warning the driver to return hands to the wheel, this product disables an important safeguard, and could put customers and other road users at risk.”

Feds crack down on Tesla Autopilot safety cheat device | TechCrunch

The federal government is stepping in to end the use of an aftermarket product designed to let Tesla owners skirt a safety feature from the electric

techcrunch.com

Mens rea vs. actus reus?

It’s a stretch to call these devices illegal, especially since I couldn’t find any law in California that explicitly prohibits their use. Now, is using one reckless? That depends—if someone engages it and stops paying attention to the road, then yes, it could be dangerous. But if the purpose is simply to override an annoying or unreliable feature, I highly doubt it would be considered illegal.

Take my Lucid, for example. Even when I follow the manual’s guidance and interact with the wheel as instructed, the system doesn’t always register my input. This leads to constant, unnecessary warnings that can become more of a distraction than a safety measure. It’s frustrating to be actively engaged with the vehicle yet still have it nag me as if I’m ignoring the road. I had a similar experience with my previous Tesla, and I never have trusted either car to drive unsupervised. (It would be like putting a 5-year-old at the wheel who is told to follow the fog lines.)

If I were to use a device like this, it wouldn’t be to disengage from driving or take my hands off the wheel—it would simply be to prevent the system from falsely assuming I’m inattentive when I’m actually complying with its requirements. It’s about mitigating an inconvenience, not compromising safety.

 

[Tesla2Lucid]

Came across this YouTube video about making this Toyota not ding every 7 seconds to grab the steering wheel...has anyone tried this? Is it safe? Legal? Any issues? I'm tempted to try it but seems like you're defeating a warning system which I'd rather not defeat....but still curious what others think...

I will plead the 5th but like the way you think.
I will validate others concerns about its safety but not its legality.
I will occasionally drive 66 MPH in a 65 zone; that is both illegal and unsafe and can compromise both my health and those around me. I also eat polyunsaturated fats!

 

[californiaboy935]

I will plead the 5th but like the way you think.
I will validate others concerns about its safety but not its legality.
I will occasionally drive 66 MPH in a 65 zone; that is both illegal and unsafe and can compromise both my health and those around me. I also eat polyunsaturated fats!

Nothing better than a fat steak, mashed potatoes with too much cream, and a Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1982... all will kill me; all are amazing...

65 as the speed limit is more like "guidelines" vs. "rule" right?

 

[chucky0731]

It’s a stretch to call these devices illegal, especially since I couldn’t find any law in California that explicitly prohibits their use.

There you go...New Law for Calif Motorists in 2025

Bill Text - SB-1313 Vehicle equipment: driver monitoring defeat devices.

 

[californiaboy935]

There you go...New Law for Calif Motorists in 2025

Bill Text - SB-1313 Vehicle equipment: driver monitoring defeat devices.

 

[segbrk]

Is it safe?

No. DDP is good, but it’s not handsfree trustworthy yet. The number of times I’ve had it try to do something stupid and only saved it because my hands were already there to fight it… just nope. I feel comfortable using it because I can so smoothly catch and override it. Without that, no way.

 

[Ughwhy]

There you go...New Law for Calif Motorists in 2025

Bill Text - SB-1313 Vehicle equipment: driver monitoring defeat devices.

Crap -- I guess wrist weights will soon be illegal in California.

 

[californiaboy935]

Crap -- I guess wrist weights will soon be illegal in California.

What isn’t illegal in California? @Denali_Dane

 

[Denali_Dane]

What isn’t illegal in California? @Denali_Dane

Communist Cali
Yah i can't even wash my car in my driveway legally anymore.
I just wash the front of the house and the car got in the way.
Next it will be illegal to breath.

 

[borski]

What isn’t illegal in California? @Denali_Dane

Laws are just loopholes waiting to be found.

 

[lucidtouringman]

Laws are just loopholes waiting to be found.

And .... laws are only for those who follow them

 

[californiaboy935]

Laws are just loopholes waiting to be found.

I like the way you think. This is my Moderator!; much better than beryllium or graphite!

 

[Denali_Dane]

Laws are just loopholes waiting to be found.

That's why I thought it was so dumb of the after market accessories companies to advertise that stuff. Keep it hush hush and if you come across it on their website then buy it.