[geeks] Unskilled drivers (was Re: Suzuki Samurai was ...)

[David L Kindred (Dave)]

>>>>> "Dan" == Dan Duncan <dand at pcisys.net> writes:

    Dan> As I recall, 'R. Lonstein' wrote:
    >> It didn't increase enough, IMNSHO. Still too many people merely
    >> (barely) operating the controls of their vehicles rather than
    >> driving.

    Dan> I blame the automatic transmission.

In that vein, the automatic choke, automatic spark advance and electric
starter are all bad ideas :) An SUV with a 5+ liter engine wouldn't be
near as popular if you had to crank it by hand!

    Dan> When you make it so that any idiot can operate a car, don't be
    Dan> surprised when every idiot does.

I think a greater problem is the "creature comfort" push that has so
isolated the driver from the driving.  I think the comfort and isolation
of modern cars has reached the expectation set by the '50s dream of the
"self driving car", but the infrastructure never happened to make the
car drive itself.  Sound insulation shouldn't be so great you can't hear
horns and sirens.  Distractions should be eliminated, not enhanced
(although you have to have enough distraction to break up the tendency
toward "tunnel" vision or whatever you call it when you realize you've
just driven n miles and don't remember them).  Sometimes I think the
old-time limousines had the right idea with the driver sitting outside
of the passenger compartment.

    Dan> A manual forces you to have a better understanding of how a car
    Dan> works and pay more attention to what's going on.

And it also removes a big chuck of the road isolation.  Since you have
to respond when things change, you have to know they're changing.

    Dan> -DanD

-- 
David L. Kindred
Unix Systems & Network Administrator
Telesciences, Inc.