During a recent discussion with a car engineer regarding the many numerous car safety features that are constantly being developed, I could not help but ask him if cars would, one day, be equipped with a ‘brain’.
He grinned and explained that a car’s safety features will always require a 100 per cent input by the driver. My immediate response to this was “why not place a sticker on each car stating ‘this vehicle does not have a brain so kindly use yours’?”
Many might ask why I am so sceptical about all the new features that modern technology is making available to today’s drivers.
It’s not that I am sceptical. I gladly embrace such innovation. However, I strongly feel that if we do not educate drivers about the cars they are driving, I fear we will never improve the safety levels on our roads, irrespective of the many safety features that today’s cars come equipped with.
If we think that our cars, which are nowadays equipped with numerous state-of-the-art safety features, will act as our guide and forgive our every mistake or miscalculation, then we’re asking for trouble.
From the very first moment that we find ourselves behind a steering wheel, we need to understand that the car we are driving has to be treated with respect as it is a very powerful and potent piece of equipment.
Today’s cars are much more dynamic and advanced than those of a few years ago. The sheer weight savings that modern construction processes and materials provide have produced vehicles that are today very agile, fast and with a very advantageous power to weight ratio. This has given rise to vehicles which require smaller engines but which give us the equivalent performance of faster, larger cars built a decade or two ago.
Furthermore, cars today are very fuel efficient and produce much less CO₂. We have to appreciate the fact that our actions when driving will have repercussions not only on other drivers but also on the whole environment around the vehicle.
And do you ever get the notion that other drivers have no idea what is going on around them? While driving to work every morning, it has become commonplace to see other drivers talking on their mobile phone, driving with just one hand on the steering wheel or exiting a side street without having the decency of looking to their left to see whether there is any oncoming traffic. If you hoot your horn, you will probably face a tirade of verbal scorn, and in some cases even physical abuse. A simple rule, such as giving way to the right is not even in their dictionary… when another driver is circling round a roundabout, he or she would be coming from your right so you must give way.
And what about speed limits and speed cameras? Please don’t get me wrong, these are vital elements to ensure security on our roads and are also a very effective way of enforcing the speed limit.
But two things really frustrate me. First and foremost are those drivers who drive on the outer lane, doing a mere 30km/h on an 80km/h road. These drivers have to realise that driving so slowly on the outer lane will not only create congestion behind them but may also give rise to an accident if some nervous driver decides to overtake from behind. And what about those who drive well above the speed limit on a main road, only to slow down the moment they encounter a speed camera and then rev up and speed off again as soon as they are past the camera. I find such antics to be unacceptable and totally irresponsible.
As with most things in life, it all boils down to enforcement. We live in a society that does require a hard hand when it comes to discipline. Where driving is concerned, one has to simply realise that a car is a very entertaining piece of engineering but it has to be handled with care and respect as it can be as dangerous as much as it can give us both pleasure and fun.