Is New Technology Creating Bad Drivers?
April 16th, 2008 Posted in Technology
By Eric Peters, Automotive Columnist
I got into writing about cars because I enjoy driving — which is why I sometimes find myself less and less interested in new cars.
As our roads have congealed into mobile parking lots where it doesn’t matter whether you’re driving a ‘78 Chevette or brand-new Corvette; as the automakers fall over each other in their frantic scramble to idiot-proof their products against an ever-less-competent driving public; as traffic laws become more and more over the top, the joy of new cars — even very powerful ones — wanes.
What, after all, is the point of owning a 500 horsepower Ford GT or Corvette Z06 in a world where using even half of that capability (if you can find a place to do so) risks a felony? (Driving faster than 80 mph in many states can subject you to immediate curbside arrest and a few days in the clink — if the judge doesn’t like your looks.)
And that’s just the law. Other forces are also hard at work to suck the joy out of the driving experience.
For example, most new performance cars have some kind of “dynamic” or “active” electronic controller that will only permit so much hooliganism. Spinning the tires is either not allowed at all — or severely limited — by the electronics. There indeed may be an “off” button, but these system sometimes don’t shut themselves all the way off.
The transistorized nanny is a suffocating omnipresence that makes driving even a very high-powered car far less engaging than driving a non-neutered car of far less potential capability. Having 100 percent control of a “50 percent car” is better, in my mind, than having 50 percent control of a 100 percent car.
The automakers are systematically working to take the driver out of the equation; it may not be deliberate — and is probably more due to the convergence of piranha lawyers on the one hand and mewling mobs of “safety” advocates on the other. Still, the end result is the same: New cars are increasingly defined by the presence of “perpetual training wheels” that not only presume incompetence — but arguably encourage more of it.
For instance, consider the electronic parking system Lexus now offers on its top-of-the-line LS-series luxury sedan. Using sensors, an electronic brain and various actuators, the thing is capable of sizing up a potential parking space, determining how the wheels should be cocked, and basically driving itself into the spot. It’s fascinating stuff — from a technical standpoint. But it must be asked: If a person is lacking the skills to safely and efficiently guide his car into a parking spot without help from a computerized wet nurse, perhaps this person needs a few remedial hours of “behind the wheel” training, eh?
And what do we make of “lane departure” warning systems that beep at you if the car begins to wander over the double yellow line? Is it asking too much to ask that drivers actually pay attention to what the car is doing? Didn’t that used to be part of the job description?
The nut of it is that these “advances” result in drivers who are detached from the act of driving; “drivers” who are more and more like passengers — regardless of seating position. It’s not too hard to imagine a future car of five years hence that will handle the entire job, curb to curb. We can then read our paper, or check our e-mail (and stuff our increasingly obese selves) with abandon.
But it’s a pretty bleak thing to contemplate for those who can recall a better time, when driving well was a skill to be proud of and which took some time to acquire. When cars were more elemental and yes, even a little bit scary — and demanded our full time and attention. Learn to master something like an old F100 pick-up with three on the tree (and no hydraulic assist for the clutch) and you came away from it with a sense of accomplishment. Generally speaking, we’re competent to drive virtually anything on wheels in a way that today’s kids, who grew up with “modern” cars, can’t begin to appreciate.
It’s a shame for them — because they’re missing out on some great experiences. And it bodes ill for the future — because the skill level of the typical driver is sure to get worse, not better. That will require more built-in idiot-proofing technology — and more “for our own good” dumbed-down traffic laws. With advances in technology — such as photo radar and GPS tracking, it may soon be impossible to exceed the speed limit without immediate repercussions — if it’s even possible to “speed” at all.
I’m glad I got my licks in before things got ugly….
Comments?
www.ericpetersautos.com
Image Credit: Erik Charlton
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2 Responses to “Is New Technology Creating Bad Drivers?”
By Chase Venters on Apr 16, 2008
Further troubling is the fact that the internal combustion engine is bound to be on its way out, given all the worry over peak oil and global warming.
I’m a very talented programmer by trade and it was always my hobby growing up. Modding my car has become my hobby in adulthood. And things will just never be the same with electric cars.
How do you soup up an electric car? You can’t attach a turbocharger or work on the exhaust system. You can’t tweak the timing.
Bigger motors? Send them off for additional winding? Put a bunch of 1 fared capacitors under the hood to simulate nitrous?
I guess it’s a happy accident that we’re able to have this much fun now, and I’m glad to say I’m getting to enjoy it while it still lasts.
By Chris Medico on Apr 25, 2008
The dumbing down of drivers in America started with the lure of the automatic transmission. We were all convinced by the sirens song that our left foot and right arm had something better to do than participate in driving the vehicle. We were told we were just working too hard sitting in that seat and moving that pedal and gear shifter. The current state of driving in the automatic world? I now see people driving with their foot out the window (hey, what else does it have to do right?) and their right hand doing anything from sending a text message to wrangling some lipstick. Don’t get me started on the guy in the dark green Camry I see pretty often on my commute into RTP with his newspaper draped over his steering wheel at 65mph.
Personally I’ve never owned a car with an automatic. I believe they shouldn’t even be offered to the general public without a qualifying medical condition. But thats just my opinion.
ABS/ESP/whatever you call the electronic leash your car is on. Not a big fan of this stuff either. Ok, ABS does have a benefit BUT no one uses it for its intended purpose. It is a very common misconception that ABS stops the car faster. It doesn’t. What ABS does do is allow you to control the car under maximum braking. This is a wonderful thing to be able to do if the driver has the skill to use it. Sadly few have this skill. I am an instructor for a high performance driving school and braking is one if the first lessons we work on with someone once we get past the track safety and situational awareness stuff. I’ve had people email me later and say how the braking skills they learned at the track prevented an collision on the road.
If you want to be passengers then get out of the left seat and let a professional take the wheel. Dumbing down the requirements for the driver is going to mushroom into a serious problem for the future. Drivers will become less and less skilled and when things go wrong the panic will cause you to make the wrong decision. Computers can only do so much.
For those that don’t want to be the problem, find a performance driving school and go spend a weekend at the track. You’ll learn a lot about your car and and more importantly, yourself. I promise it will be the most fun you’ve had with your car in a long time (in the front seat at least). The life you save could be yours, your kids, or even mine.