My Car is Smarter than me.

[honda03842]

We had owned our previous car for 10 years, a 2004 Honda CRV, a fine automobile that served towing our little trailers all over North America. Though an almost flawless vehicle, it was closer to our father’s car than our latest car. As planned in 2014 we purchased a new car, a 2014 Honda Odyssey. I knew humanity was in trouble when our car was smarter than me.

Shortly after we purchased it I stopped at a store with Ginny. She ran in for a quick purchase and I waited in the car. She was back and in minutes and I attempted to turn on the car but got no response. The car knew the engine was running and unlike the old days when turning the starter on would cause a crunch with a running engine, I got silence. The car’s engine computer was smart enough to know the engine was already running. The car was smarter than me, well aware of what it was doing, well aware of it’s local environment.

Car’s are about to get smarter, the newest more expensive versions are aware of neighboring vehicles and in the near future will be electronically connected to other cars and in the very near future will automatically select routes based upon traffic conditions. Already cars are overriding operator actions. Smarter than their drivers, more focused, faster, more dependable responders.

Just musing....

[Glenn Baglo]

Which is why automatic is a smarter choice than manual.
Vehicle has sensors everywhere reporting to computers that can calculate the optimum response before the driver is even aware there is an issue.

[honda03842]

Glenn, I do appreciate the value of computers but...

The car is smarter in many ways, lots of little things. It has gotten me to begin thinking about the progress of electronics but particularly the evolution of computers in the 'human' world.

The evolution of computers. along with the supporting robots, will within decades take over many of the everyday jobs. How will humanity fit into the world of computers and robots?

[Glenn Baglo]

Stephen Hawking is warning against computers with artificial intelligence taking over from humans. Google it and I'm sure it will turn up more on his theory.

[sokhapkin]

To start the engine on a modern F-150 just turn key to "start" position and release the key back to "run" position. The computer will crank the starter as long as needed and will stop it when engine starts. Or you can hold the key in "start" position, the computer will stop the starter motor automatically.

[Mike Magee]

Some vehicles have push-button start. My wife is suspicious of it, but I want that feature on my next vehicle. I have to start the thing 15-20 times per day, and digging that key out of the pocket and fumbling it into the ignition becomes tiresome.

The thing that concerns me about all this new tech is the ability to tell where you are, where you've been, and how you drove. Will we someday have the vehicle pull off the road and turn around without our volition, while we receive a message telling us that we have exceeded our mileage quota for the week?

[mary and bob]

Does all this smartness allow the drivers to be less smart? I retired because I wasn't smart enough to fix the new trucks.

[Borrego Dave]

A restored pre computer ride is looking better and better all the time.

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by Borrego Dave

A restored pre computer ride is looking better and better all the time.

I have one currently licensed and driven occasionally, and a few others waiting restoration dating from 1943 up to 1969. How many younger people would be able to drive something like that. In one of my vintage car magazines there was a comment in an article about a '57 Ford that said "Would the younger generation know to insert the key over on the left side of the dash?" But the new vehicles are much safer with all that computer stuff, antilock brakes, stability control. I just bought a 2012 pickup to replace a '86 and my insurance agent said my premium would be lower because of all the new safety features. A recent news story said not to buy an older cheap car for your teenage driver because they are not as safe as new cars. Maybe learning to drive safely would help.

[Glenn Baglo]

Best is safer vehicles and learning to drive.

[tractors1]

Save a whole bunch of money on tools to work on vehicles these days. I just donated a lot of mine; haven't used a distributor wrench in over 20 years..........

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Best is safer vehicles and learning to drive.

Glenn, I don't know what you mean by either of those comments. A safer vehicle with air bags, crumple zones and ABS brakes are good items. Engine controls for clean burning and economy are good also. But IMHO all the features that are added now to warn and control a car I only see as the dumbing down of drivers from actually paying attention to their driving and relying on a computer to do it for you. Is that what you mean't by learning to drive? Explain please.

[Glenn Baglo]

Best to learn to drive and drive a safer vehicle. Safer vehicle doesn't have to make drivers dumb.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Best to learn to drive and drive a safer vehicle. Safer vehicle doesn't have to make drivers dumb.

I agree with being a safe driver. My problem with "safer cars" are all the controls that are being built in to take the control away from drivers and changing the mindset to letting it be the judge of safe. By being a safer driver, check the mirrors before making a lane change. If you aren't sure what's behind you before backing up, get out and look, things like that. I don't think these new additions really make much difference to us older folks but I do believe that the younger generation will be at a dissadvantage because of it. They have already let electronics dominate them. Nothing wrong with electronic advancement, but the hands on experience and common sence are taking a back seat IMO. I see it with my kids and their friends and I can only call it a dumbing down to real world experience.

[Glenn Baglo]

The kids that are at the biggest disadvantage are those who learned to drive from their parents, rather than from a driving instructor.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

The kids that are at the biggest disadvantage are those who learned to drive from their parents, rather than from a driving instructor.

That may be true in many cases Glenn. I started driving when I was 9 with my Dads instructions and at 15 with an instructor. Funny thing was he didn't add anything to what I had already learned. His biggest comment to me was "I can tell you've had driving experience". I really had a hard time from laughing out loud, yup, six years and only wanting to make it legal now. I taught my girls in the dune buggy in the desert. By the time they got to the pavement they had a good handle on car control and only had to learn dealing with traffic and such.

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

Does all this smartness allow the drivers to be less smart? I retired because I wasn't smart enough to fix the new trucks.

Hi: mary and bob...I retired because at 64 I knew how to drive a transit bus. At 65 I needed to be tested, and I don't do well at skill testing questions!!!
As for my vehicle being smart... the "Service Engine Soon" light has come on, been fixed, come on again, been fixed again, come back on again, and been fixed...yet again. Now that's really "Dumb"!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[MC1]

Originally Posted by tractors1

Save a whole bunch of money on tools to work on vehicles these days. I just donated a lot of mine; haven't used a distributor wrench in over 20 years..........

Charlie... I can sure relate. Dwell meters, distributor wrench, etc are entering the Jurasic era. Can't even sell this stuff. Nobody wants or needs it.

[cpaharley2008]

and what happens when the computers stop working??????? everything shuts down, perhaps our lives have become so dependent on the microchip that it has become our Achilles heel.....hhhmmmm

[MC1]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

and what happens when the computers stop working??????? everything shuts down, perhaps our lives have become so dependent on the microchip that it has become our Achilles heel.....hhhmmmm

A thought and it could happen. But for now the benefits are worth the chance of the dark side happening.