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As a man thinks, so he is. Some people are never.

November 2009

ABS Brakes - wonderful idea, but some think to seem they mean you'll be able to stop no matter what situation they put themselves in.

Daytime Running Lights - another seemingly clever idea to make your car stand out in traffic. Only problem is that as soon as a large number of vehicles had them, you didn't stand out in traffic so much any more. Then there are the mental giants you think DRL's are headlight and run with them at night. I seriously doubt that DRL's have prevented anything.

Air Bags - again, I agree they are a good thing if you happen to put yourself in a crash situation, but I get the feeling that some think they don't need to buckle up because the airbag will protect them. Yet we constantly hear news items about fatal accidents where the victim wasn't wearing a seat belt, but people who survived were.

The list of future ideas is even scarier. Cars that brake for you, cars that drive themselves. Here's an idea. When you're in control of a couple of tons of steel heading down the road, turn off the cell phone, buckle up, and take care of driving your car!

4:14 am | Categories: car safety, commentary
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pf_flyer - Nov 8, 2009 6:53 am

I think we're on the other side of the line: Especially when I had someone suggest to me that a heads up display on the windshield and thumb pads on the steering wheel would be a safe way to text while driving. And I'm ALWAYS looking out for the other guy. The wife, the kids, and I are approaching two million combined miles driven on the vehicles we've owned since we've been married. Not counting door dings in parking lots (where's technology when you REALLY need it??) we've had three instances of "moving damage". Two involved deer jumping out in front of the wife at night (pretty much unavoidable) and one time the wife crunched a tail light against a large, parked truck in a parking lot. Come to think of it, my record is clean! And we've never had a vehicle with ABS, DRL's or electronic stability control. We also managed to survive childhood without seatbelts or car seats :) Again, not that any of this stuff is "bad", but the problem with trying to come up with an idiot proof car is that it seems to ignore the fact that there will always be idiots behind the wheel who will ingore having to do something if they think some bit of technology is taking care of it. Consider the pilots who recently were able to have a heated discussion while the autopilot flew the plane, to the point where they completely forgot they we're still supposed to be flying and overshot their destination by 150 miles. I can always come up with an instance or situation where one of these items is a good idea. But if they were a good idea for all drivers in all situations, why haven't traffic fatality and accident rates dropped dramatically over the last 10-15 years as these "advances" came on the scene?

sarahsmile90 - Nov 7, 2009 7:38 pm

There is a fine line somewhere here. Are we crossing it....maybe? Drivers need to drive responsible for sure. But when you have all this technology and car companies trying for the upper edge, it's tough to reject the technology....especially if everyone else has it.

steve_ - Nov 7, 2009 8:57 am

I can drive my car fine. I'm worried about the other guy who's drunk or on her phone. I want six or more air bags, crumple zones, ABS, DRLs, stability control, door pillars, stronger roofs, active head restraints, and every other safety feature that I can afford on my cars.

rsholland - Nov 7, 2009 5:31 am

Also, my car has DRLs, so it's not an issue with me, as I can be seen under all driving situations. However it does concern me when I encounter a car on a murky gray road without DRLs, as it's difficult to see that vehicle. Saying someone "should" have their lights on ignores human behavior. Yeah, perhaps they should, but that doesn't mean they will. Just because that driver may be able to see, doesn't mean an oncoming vehicle can see them. Too many drivers are ignorant of that fact. I say make DRLs a law.

rsholland - Nov 7, 2009 5:17 am

No I don't mean that. I mean I drive even on sunny days into situations in which the car blends into the background. Those sections of heavily shaded roads I mentioned above are that way whether its sunny or cloudy.

pf_flyer - Nov 6, 2009 9:05 am

You mean like on a "day" when you should have your headlights on? ;)

rsholland - Nov 6, 2009 5:21 am

I disagree on the Daytime Running lights. They are a great advantage in marginal lighting situations, in which the vehicle can blend into the background. This is especially true on gray overcast days on roads that are heavily forested off to the side, in which those sections of road live in perpetual darkeness. Many a time oncoming vehicles, without DRLs, can just blend into the surroundings on those stretches of road. I run into this situation all the time out where I live. So, yeah, I'm a big proponent of DRLs. :)

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