"...in cars with push-button keyless ignition systems, including some Toyota and Lexus models, turning off the thing requires the driver to "push and hold" the dashboard-mounted start button—the opposite of the process many drivers have mapped into their brains, says Paul Green, who studies how drivers interact with vehicle technology at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute...
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."
Although technology is meant to be something the advances markets, if it significantly endangers consumer lives, than it seems to be more harmful to the industry. What if people are too "slow" to be driving these high-tech, high-speed vehicles? How is being a consumer of automobiles going to change in the next few years?
I agree that the assembly of something like a car shouldn't be rushed just for the sake of getting in on the market. However, I don't think people are too incapable of driving more technologically advanced cars. I understand the airplane pilot example because those are huge pieces of equipment that are much more complex than cars. I feel that people are capable of reading manuals, asking questions, and learning about their new cars. If not, then they have no one to blame but themselves. A
ReplyDeleteI agree with Ajminch.Cars have been changing ever since they were invented. At first, people used to walk, use animals, use a horse driven cart, then an old-fashioned type of wagon... and the list goes on to the point where we now have standard cars and even solar cars. Over the years, people have been known to learn and understand how to operate these vehicles.
ReplyDeleteCars are also like computers in the sense that are and will always be changing as technology advances. Although it is in our ability to understand and operate these new models, I do agree that we should not take things for granted but we should really take the time to know the types of cars that we will purchase and how they operate.
I am not sure how the purchase of automobiles will change, but I think that as long as the economy stabilizes again, that there will again be a high demand for cars because they are normal goods. A, T
I don't think people are too slow to adapt to the change in technology, because people are the ones who invent technology. Really, the only unreliable, besides engineering flaws and such, are the drivers themselves. People are willing to do dangerous things, like driving, for the sake of convenience, and if the activity is too dangerous, then people wear helmets. Therefore with this new technology, a more rigorous training should be necessary just like any other technical job.
ReplyDeleteI think that such radical technological developments could initially be a danger while people adjust to the new technology. But after they get used to the new features, driving will not be any more dangerous than before the new features were implemented. A
ReplyDeleteThe fact of the matter is, even today many people struggle to be good drivers, at least where I am from. What I believe has to happen to prevent today's bad drivers from becoming even worse a few years down the road, with new technology continuing to be installed in cars, is not only the bad, but everyone who has a license is going to have to take a course online or at a secretary of state to learn the new aspects of cars, and how to utilize them properly. Everyone will have to pass this course to maintain their license, and in the instance someone fails, there should be restrictions placed down on their license. I think this is a good way for drivers to keep up with the ever so changing automobile. (A)
ReplyDeletePeople have well adapted to the technology these past years and I think that they wouldn’t have a problems getting used to modernization. People will continue to buy automobiles because it’s a good that they will always be a demand, yes, the amount of demand will decrease it the economy is not stable but there will always be people purchasing cars.E.A
ReplyDeleteInteresting, looks like a challenge for drivers. But I think people just need some time to adjust to the new products. It's always better to develop than to stick with the old ones. Producers can take feed backs from early users and gradually improve their automobiles. [A]
ReplyDeleteI agree with the general public. I don't think I'll ever see the day where technology becomes too advanced for the average human to handle. The point of most technology is to make things easier for an 'average Joe'.
ReplyDeleteAn on/off button is one thing, but there is great reason to be distrustful of the general public when it comes to technology. Many people, if they cannot immediately understand something, will reject it. Worse, if they learn to do something the wrong way, they'll often adamantly oppose being corrected, at the detriment of their use of that technology.
ReplyDeleteJust look at older generations and computers. While it's hardly true that all people above the age of 35 have trouble grasping the basics of a computer, enough do so as to be a significant group within the market. One need look no further than here to see a prime example of people misunderstanding technology and thus limiting their utilization thereof. It's also not fair to say this behavior is exclusive to the elderly; there are far too many young people who have grown up with computers who have somehow missed the use of a URL.
High-tech cars shouldn't pose too much of a problem. Basic things like the ignition are easily learned. Anything more advanced, like cars directing themselves, will not enter the market until absolutely idiot-proofed. The testing of such technology is probably too expensive and time-consuming for most companies to care, and the self-driving car is a clear example where defense spending will fuel the majority of the initial research.
(A, E)
I think the fact that these people of trouble understanding they need ot just hold the start button longer till it turns off is sad. It is not a relatively hard concept to understand and for the poeple who do understand this and are willing to buy fit the custromer who they designed the car for.
ReplyDeleteWith any new technology or toy, the instruction manual should be read. It is the person's own fault if they don't relearn and remap how to drive the car that they chose to buy. The production of new technology always requires a period of adjustment which I am sure will happen with these new cars. T
ReplyDeleteAny one can learn how to use a push button start. I think the real problem with the increase in advanced technology in cars is that they add distractions to the driver. While people's ability to learn new technology can increase, their level of concentration is a constant. With all the new features available to the driver, they are likely to be more distracted.
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But at what cost are we willing to push for technological advancement before it becomes too much. Adjustment vs. Safety are two different arguments. I am so for people having to be re- trained to drive a new model vehicle. In drivers training they don't teach you to push a on/off button. While driving my friends hybrid, it took me the longest to figure out how to start it up and while I eventually got it, I was definitely worried that I was going to do something wrong and cause myself to get into an accident. {A;T}
ReplyDeleteI think that the issue for this example specifically is not that people have trouble learning what to do, it's a matter of their bodies learning. This is about muscle memory. When we do something often enough, our bodies learn to do it automatically without us actively thinking about it very much. When cars change the position of buttons and levers that we are used to having in a specific place, when it comes time to use them we may reach for the wrong thing out of habit. When it comes to cars, this can have a fatal outcome.
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