Now here’s a really bad idea: let’s develop technology that allows motorists to drive with their brains and not with their arms and legs. After all, most people are totally focused when they’re behind the wheel, and not easily distracted by cell phones, text messages, Twitter feeds, greasy burgers, 55 gallon Uber Gulp drinks or thousand-watt audio systems. Really, what could possibly fail with a driving system that required 100% attention span behind the wheel and took time to process the driver’s inputs? Watch the video below and prepare to be horrified.
Sarcasm aside, this is one more attempt to turn driving into a path-of-least-resistance task with as little human intervention as possible. There are those who’d embrace this technology as a stepping stone to the next quantum leap in transportation, the fully autonomous car. These soul-less individuals have never experienced the joy of a properly rev-matched downshift, and they don’t know what it’s like to have a tuned engine come on cam as you row your way up through the gears, chasing a stream through a mountain canyon. If they get their way, you won’t be able to experience such things much longer, either. I’m not ready for battery powered transportation pods that get me from point A to point B without diversion, and I’d rather drive than spend my time connected to a collective hive-mind. I’m not giving in to our computer powered robot overlords yet, and I hope you’re not either.
Source: Autoevolution
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
