Technology Meets Old School
A well trained, well rested and attentive driver beats technology. The best of these drivers use advanced technology to become better drivers. A collision mitigation system helps mitigate collisions. It says it right there in its name. A good driver avoids collisions. It is better to avoid a collision than to mitigate one.
Last week, I was driving in bad weather all week. If you live in Wisconsin, it comes with the territory. You learn to watch for signs of ice. When in doubt, it is best to assume that the road is icy. Good drivers watch for spray coming up from the road. Do you remember those old safety posters? They read if you see spray, you're OK. Nice rhyme, don't trust it. If you don't see spray, the road is icy. If you see spray, you might be OK. That is more accurate. Assuming that the road just wet when it is icy is a bigger mistake than thinking that a road is icy when it is just wet.
The old trucks did not come with outside thermometers. We guessed at the temperature. If it was cold outside 
the truck, it was cold inside the truck. Newer trucks are warmer. We looked for signs. One of the first signs of an icy road was the back of our mirrors. That hasn't changed. I still look for that sign.
Last week, I noticed something faster. My collision mitigation system stops functioning on icy or snowy road ways. It knocks out the cruise control. Every good driver knows not to be in cruise control on slippery surfaces. We would not necessarily notice that all of a sudden our cruise control is not working. We wouldn't be in cruise control. Except my system tells me that my cruise control and my collision mitigation are disabled. It beeps. The screen turns orange. About 30 minutes later ice began accumulating on the back of my mirrors.
The detection part of the system is located closer to the road surface. It is logical that anything in that location would know if it was icy before something that is 6 feet above the road. Is the physical freezing up of the system – old school? It is physically blocked. Is it new school, because it tells me electronically that the roads are freezing? I don't know. I don't care. It is an inconvenience that I can't use my CC after the roads are dry without shutting the truck off and turning it back on. If that is the trade off for knowing a little sooner that the roads are icy, I will take that trade every time.