Do you ever get the feeling of dread when you read a newspaper article. I today, was flicking through the Telegraph only to see the item on cars that steer themselves and don?t need a driver. Apparently in Nevada?? they have okayed this.
It is obvious that a lot of devices that have automatic override capability are in common use and we should be careful not to rubbish the principle but discuss instead where the endless push for automation is superfluous.
We have automatic gearboxes that in my book enhance the driving experience, (in certain cars and on certain journeys), by doing away with drudgery. Drudgery in heavy traffic or on long jouneys.
Automatic windsceen wipers are one of those devices that on my Merc are usually just out of sync with weather conditions. Never quite worked out how someone decided I was incapable of seeing the rain and switching on the blades. But hey, it?s not particularly annoying.
Then the proximity devices that open up the car doors. The benefit of not having to carry car ?keys? in my hand and pressing the button, leaves me cold. I have to have my house keys anyway and I wasn?t doing anything special on the way to the car that disabled my index finger. So actually not labour saving. Just another level of complexity.
Antilock braking systems. Clearly a good idea and I don?t believe people drive like idiots just because they know the cars brain will save their lives.
But I digress. I want to know how it is that after years of hearing of people driving down canal paths and railway tracks because of strange advice from a sat-nav, one would wish to put their lives in the programming systems of a back room Johnny. Sometimes you drive along and the system loses signal......what is the procedure? Do all passengers with a licence have to scramble back in the drivers seat?
What is the procedure when you see a dog, (maybe loosely attached to a pedestrian), that jumps into the road in front of you? Does the car swerve to miss the dog and go for the pedestrian? What do you do when you see one of the very big potholes? Do you plough on regardless and risk major damage? What happens when the car gets a puncture? Not every car keeps on a straight and level path. Perhaps even when the car is dragging on the deck throwing up sparks the system just keeps on regardless.
Perhaps we will get a spate of drink driving? Honest your Lordship, Johnny the programmer was sober so I thought it would be alright!
Maybe someone will devise something to fit onto the E type. What fun! I could then sit on the left for a change and have a kip.