Airline pilots get retrained and certified every time they move from one type of plane to another so that they can safely operate the sophisticated electronic controls in modern aircraft. Motorists expect to jump in and out of cars with minimal instruction and a cursory skim of the owner's manual.
For starters, how do you even turn on one of these new cars? For decades, you did it by twisting a key, holding it for a few seconds, then releasing it as the engine kicked on. Turning the car off involved twisting it in the opposite direction.
The Toyota Motor Corp. recall uproar is spurring a reevaluation of the way new automotive technology should be designed—and how much consumers should know about how it works.
Features such as electronic throttle controls, computer-controlled braking, push-button "keyless" ignition systems, new transmission designs and gas-electric hybrids present challenges to drivers who are accustomed to the well-known conventions that guided the designs of the analog cars of yesteryear
Industry executives are wary of what will happen as regulators wade into this thicket. Mandating that all vehicles start and stop in a certain way, or have redundant mechanical backup systems, may be reassuring for consumers. It could also stifle innovation that would make electronic vehicle systems smarter and safer in the future.
Further, vehicle standards alone can't guarantee there won't be another round of anxiety over "drive by wire" electronic vehicle technology. That's because there are people involved. Your next car may not turn on, brake or shift anything like the cars you've owned before, especially if it's a hybrid.
The federal government doesn't approve new medicines for sale until manufacturers prove they are safe. With cars, it's the other way around: New technology often gets scrutinized only after a safety problem surfaces. So should the feds develop new, more-detailed standards for safety-critical systems that are controlled by computers and electronic relays so that all cars function in roughly the same way?
The pairing of high-tech machines and low-tech drivers could be troublesome for years to come :D
Point to ponder!
lolz.. had quite debate.... !
ReplyDeletei cant imagine myself driving a new car just like dat ... a new model!
but yeah.. there is mixed opinion!
yes... nice post. quite thoughtful. We never generally think of this kind of scenario as norml middle class family might buy a new car, and hi-tech way different model maybe not so quite often. it should be mndatory for people to be made to taught the same
ReplyDeletei agree.. there should be some specifications for end user interface.. changing something ahdoc would be a paradigm shift which is generally not well digested by end users... i think i would also not like to see my watch suddenly showing mobile tv instead of time :)
ReplyDelete