In this post, I wrote the following about how the computer systems in new cars are compensating for or correcting an ever-increasing range of human driver input:
It's probably inevitable that computers will eventually drive our cars for us. But never our motorcycles.
FOLLOW-UP:
Big Ben is concerned that because motorcycles can't be controlled by computers in the same way cars can, riding them will eventually be outlawed as too dangerous. It's a scary thought.
The plan is that computer-controlled cars will catch driver error before it can lead to an accident. That's a laudable goal, in theory. But given the law of unintended consequences, drivers in such cars will probably just end up driving worse, relying on the computer to save them from the consequences of their poor judgement, recklessness and inattention.Via Instapundit, Leftlane News describes an experiment that bears out my fears:
To test some skills of the average driver, the U.K.’s Times newspaper brought along a 15-year-old BMW 3-series devoid of every modern safety feature and asked some regular drivers to take it through the test track at the Graham Griffiths of Ultimate Car Control training school. While all the drivers were able to drive their modern Volvos, Hondas, and Subarus successfully in all conditions, they failed when forced to drive the classic car. “Even these self-confessed petrolheads were unable to control their cars without the aid of ABS.” And without traction control, many of the drivers “swung about wildly,” heading into 360-degree spinsIt's amazing how quickly reliance on computers causes certain skills to atrophy. For example, the widespread use of word processing software in Japan is blamed for the difficulty many Japanese now have in writing kanji characters.
It's probably inevitable that computers will eventually drive our cars for us. But never our motorcycles.
FOLLOW-UP:
Big Ben is concerned that because motorcycles can't be controlled by computers in the same way cars can, riding them will eventually be outlawed as too dangerous. It's a scary thought.
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