What do you think about this/

General Discussion
64

Or those kidney stones are acting up again.

65

Government supplied chauffered limos of course!

3 Likes
66

Only if you’re far enough up the food chain.

67

I am not. I would not even buy a car with a “drive by wire” throttle body, I sure as heck wouldn’t buy one with “drive by wire” steering and braking, which would be required for this level of autonomy to exist. I trust the tried-and-true mechanical linkages, and don’t trust a computer to override my/the driver’s control.

If you want to buy a car where Big Brother is in control, you can do that, but I would not be caught dead driving one.

2 Likes
68

That ship has sailed. You’ll limit yourself to old heaps, and if that’s what makes you happy more power to you. I personally choose to be less luddite about my vehicles. Electronics have gotten sufficiently reliable that you’re better off with drive-by-wire than you were in the old cable-throttle days. As for the “brake by wire,” you still have the old hydraulic system - you just have two inputs to it. One is the brake pedal, and the other is an automated system that applies the brakes when you’re about to hit something.

None of this is “Big Brother,” because the car itself is making these decisions, and only when you have screwed up to the degree that you’re about to ram into something, not the government.

With all the bad drivers out there causing wrecks (forget the drunks, people routinely drive like crap when they’re completely sober), something needs to be done to minimize the damage they do. We’re clearly not willing to rework our training, testing, and licensing system such that it would be much harder for a bad driver to get and keep a license. The only other practical solution is to install systems in the cars which can correct for bad driving before someone gets run over.

3 Likes
69

I guess you are going to insist that your employer furnish you a horse and buggy instead of a new service vehicle.

2 Likes
70

Or a Ford Model T which also had mechanical rather than hydraulic brakes.

71

Well the question may be moot by that time as self driving cars become available. Hey Party hardy no designated driver needed!!:beers::cocktail::tropical_drink::tumbler_glass:

Of course the privacy question is still in play as those self driving cars may be talking to each other to co-ordinate traffic and reporting back to city control central


72

As far as I’m concerned, the privacy ship left the harbor long ago, and I don’t care.