Cars and bicycles, drivers and cyclists. Since sharing the roads, there have been arguments and accidents. But now, like Chazz Michael Michaels and Jimmy MacElroy in the greatest figure skating film of all time, they have a chance to reunite.
With the coronavirus moving others away from public transport, the car and cycling will actually become more popular than ever, and Skoda hopes its new generation will make things safer for two-wheeled vehicles.
The fourth-generation Octavia is one of the most motorcycle-friendly cars ever built, with a new generation that can make car and motorcycle collisions a thing of the past.
The first formula is called exit warning, which uses the car’s blind spot detection sensors to detect cyclists coming when the car is stationed. As they pass, a series of visual and audible alerts inform passengers that they must open their doors: what former shipping secretary Chris Grayling may have done in his Land Rover Discovery…
The Octavia also gets ‘Predictive Cycling Protection’ and ‘Turn Assist’, with both able to apply the brakes and bring the car to a stop if a cyclist is detected ahead or at a junction. And then there’s Skoda’s Collision Avoidance Assist system, which can now perform evasive manoeuvres such as The Iron Lotus (okay we got carried away with the Blades of Glory references, but it will actually steer around cyclists if the driver isn’t paying attention).
Some pretty impressive things, then, and welcome news for cyclists who are tired of being condemned by passengers who jump cars. Now, where did we put this lycra?
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