Unexpected benefit of all the new safety features

[ohio_peasant]

Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd

Cars are coming with these new fangled safety systems because too many people become morons behind the wheel.

They drive too fast for conditions, they tailgate, don't use indicators, can't back up let alone parallel park and become easily distracted.

With that being said I do like the new systems.

I'm not persuaded that modern drivers are any more moronic than those of 50 years ago. What has changed is the plethora of distractions, density of traffic, and our culture of reliance on electronic technology. We are also less tolerant of accidents or other vagaries of life. 50 years ago, we collectively had a higher tolerance for fatalities per mile driven. Today we're far more willing to cede primacy as operators of machines, to accept monitoring or "corrective" intrusions, for the sake of statistically lower likelihood of injury.

These new gadget have their role. Some drivers doubtless adore them. Others, like the OP, find said gadgets to be whimsical aids in making a rhetorical point. My concern is that consumer-choice is being abridged. Even if we can disable these various electronic nannies, they nevertheless remain part of the vehicle's system. They're extra complexity, weight and expense. To vibrate the steering-wheel for lane-departure prevention there is probably a dedicated electric motor with a counterweight or cam or some such thing; more parts, more circuits, more weight, more things to go wrong. It used to be, that cars would rust apart before major electrical failure; or maybe the piston rings would score the cylinder walls, necessitating a complete engine overhaul. I wonder now if drivers of today's electronic wonders will in 10 or 15 years face catastrophic electrical failure... too many minor gadgets gone wrong, wiring into the ECU, impossible to diagnose, resulting in the totaling of a vehicle without a single spot or rust or a single leak of oil.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd

Cars are coming with these new fangled safety systems because too many people become morons behind the wheel.

They drive too fast for conditions, they tailgate, don't use indicators, can't back up let alone parallel park and become easily distracted.

With that being said I do like the new systems.

While I do agree that there are a lot of morons out there, I don't think that's why. Cars are bigger. Some of that is preference (like the prevalence of SUVs). But even smaller sedans are designed differently. There's less glass and more metal. My mom has a relatively new Civic, and when you go to put your elbow up on the door, you immediately realize that the top of the door (where the window starts) is damn near the level of your ear. Same with my husband's VW. Same goes with rear windows - much smaller than they were. All of that is great when you are rear ended or are t-boned by one of the aforementioned morons. You are much more likely to survive a rash that you were 20 years ago. But it also reduces visibility. Rear cameras are now required because you simply can not see every thing behind you with these new (safer) designs. It's very easy to back over a child, for example. Same with changing lanes. You can turn around and look until the cows come home, but you simply can not see everything.

Ultimately, I see all of this - the technology and newer, safer designs - as good things. But there are always going to be people who talk about how back in their day, they drive an old pick-up with three wheels and no seat belts, and it made them a better driver. That doesn't mean it was safe.