Wonder why the 2018 Cadillac CT6 will have a light bar on the steering wheel? To get drivers to keep their eyes on the road.
It’s part of Cadillac’s new Super Cruise —a semi-autonomous driving mode that is said to surpass Tesla’s Autopilot in capability.
Not only do you get a self-driving mode, with Cadillac’s new Super Cruise, you don’t have to keep your hands on the wheel as in Tesla’s Autopilot. But you do have to keep your eyes on the road and so Cadillac will monitor the driver’s attention level.
Super Cruise relies on a camera facing the driver that uses infrared light to “see” where the driver’s attention is focused. If the driver stops viewing the road, Super Cruise issues an alert. If that doesn’t work the light bar on the steering wheel starts to flash. Then visual indicators on the instrument cluster flash and the seat vibrates. You also get audible alerts and if there’s still no response from the driver, the CT6 will gradually stop on its own power and notify OnStar’s emergency system.
Super Cruise will be an option on the CT6 due this fall.
Sources: Detroit News, The Car Connection, Engadget
