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I've been watching this steady progression for 50 years now. I'm talking about the continuous decline in real interaction between driver and vehicle. Continual automation is creating a society of clueless drivers.
Let me start a list, much like car "enthusiasts" lament every day:
- manual choke; gone
- manual tranny; essentially gone
- auto-everything installed; wipers, dimmers, braking, etc., etc.
- sensors replacing daily checks; fluid levels, tire pressure, engine parameters, etc., etc.
- idiotic touch screens replacing simpler controls
In essence, the auto industry has the buying public convinced that total automation and self-driving autonomous vehicles are the way to go. Like everything in life, these policies have some merit, but they're also fraught with downfalls. Like complexity and cost.
On a daily basis, I see drivers with absolutely no clue how to maintain their vehicles, or at the very least, how to have someone else do it. And add to that the general ineptitude of the bulk of the drivers on the highway, and you have the perfect formula for serious crashes.
So here's my plea: learn how to drive, and learn how to maintain your car.