Car enthusiasts worldwide have different opinions on the impact of automation. It is easy to say that modern cars, with all their mod-cons, luxuries, and high-tech safety features, take the joy out of hitting the open road.
However, for those of us who remember a world when driving had no automation, a world where braking, distance control, and reversing into a car park space all relied on the driver’s skill level, then these changes are profound. For some people, these technological advancements are easier to access.
Let’s face it, we all know people who would’ve hit a few walls and other cars in a car park if they didn’t have these tools at their disposal. But for those of us who enjoy taking to the open road and having a drive, is automation taking away some of this organic joy? Is it simply a case of adapting to the times and making roads safer?
Replicating The Thrill Of Driving
All too often, those who don’t enjoy driving will misinterpret the “thrill” of it with those who go out and street race, do donuts, and try to max out their speed on the highway. The joy of driving really stems from the freedom, having your own space, your own music, and the world being your oyster. It’s odd that these terms are so often conflated and require clarification.
Many of the latest specifications and automations ensure that cars cannot exceed a certain speed, or they will feed their data back to a centralized system that measures how fast they go and their average speed over a certain distance. Similar to how speed cameras work.
There are plenty of avenues for those looking to replicate the thrill; some people will partake in a casino crash game, where you need to time your cash out before you “crash out” – it could crash out after a few seconds, it could go for a few minutes, but the arbitrary nature of the game often includes vehicles like cars and planes, and are a growing niche within the realm of the casino gaming market.
Other car enthusiasts will opt for driver meets, auto shows, or connecting with people online who share their love of cars. Enhancements in video gaming have also created more realistic, immersive driving experiences, where players can buy wheels, cars, and gearsticks and race against each other online.
Why Automation Is Necessary
Awareness is the number one key to preventing accidents, and some analysts believe that hyper-automated systems, particularly in new cars that feel like they are doing the driving for you, are causing people to become lazy in their approach, relying on the tech to do the heavy lifting. Over time, this impacts awareness.
It’s not a baseless argument by any stretch of the imagination. We’ve seen experts argue that, in simpler scenarios, such as distance control and speed management, automated cars tend to be more reliable than human drivers. However, in more nuanced instances, such as complex turns, poor visibility, and low winter sun, these stats can be harder to dissect.
Elon Musk’s claim in 2015 that Tesla would be able to drive better than humans is one of the many predictions he’s come out with, which have been pretty concerningly wide of the mark. Tesla is one example of an automated vehicle that has found itself in the spotlight, with its Autopilot feature containing a critical safety gap that led to its vehicles being involved in over a dozen fatal incidents.
As AI continues to defy expectations, automation, especially automation that is safe, will create a driving culture that relies less on human skill, more on automated settings, and, in theory, once it is perfected, there will be no argument that it is better for our safety. Again, though, for people who believe that the autonomy and fun are being stripped away from their own driving, these advances are not going to help matters.
Finding The Balance
Technology has shown, across many fields, that it is about how it is implemented rather than relying on it to do everything. Reversing into a tight spot is much easier with rear cameras and parking sensors, and going from having them in your vehicle to not having them would make the driving experience more stressful.
The same applies to other innovative technological integrations, such as live traffic jam updates and built-in GPS and Bluetooth. Imagine having to drive without any of these enhancements? It’s about taking the rough with the smooth.
Likewise, if you drove an automated car that hit the brakes for you, provides a full 360 view of cars around you, like many EV companies now do, which helps to alleviate stress and shines a light on the things you may miss as you are driving, ultimately designed to make you and your passengers safer.
Yes, it might take some of the joy from driving, especially if you learned to drive decades ago, as I did, but if it makes us all safer, which is the ultimate and likely end goal, then it’s impossible to argue with this change.
