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Originally Posted by Jack Jones
I'd rather see GM work on ... putting the power window buttons, headlights, windshield wipers, etc. where I can find them without having to take my eyes off the road.
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Oh, but they have!!
The car we rented for IRI was a brand-new Chevy HHR. The power window buttons were located....
Guess where!!
...in the center console, underneath the climate controls, where you could barely find them. Not on the driver door within easy reach, like all the other power window cars I've ever driven.
Not a very good example of GM technological advances, I'm afraid.
I hope their computer-driven car is way much better designed.
(Note to everyone who noticed our silver HHR in the parking lot at IRI, thinking this strange looking beastie was something cool: Better test drive it before deciding it's for you.
I suspect it will not sell very well--it's a niche market sort of thing.)
Enough about the unimportant details of automotive controls!
Last night, we witnessed an accident. A large pickup truck was being driven very badly, like the driver didn't know what lane he wanted to be in, or where he wanted to go. He suddenly veered, and sideswiped a $65,000 BMW. We thought surely he was drunk or something. To our surprise, he pulled into a gas station--he could have easily driven away.
When the lady driving the BMW asked the other driver for his license, he just shrugged. I called the police (ponder this for non-911 situations: how do you call the police on your cell phone when it's not a life or death emergency, seeing as the bad driver was no longer behind the wheel?).
The only good things about this were that no one was hurt, both cars were still fully drivable, and the driver was willing to take responsibility for his actions.
Now, how would a computerized car handle this situation? Here was an unlicensed driver, who had perhaps taken the family car without permission. Would the car have prevented the accident? Would it have prevented his driving the car in the first place?
And, on a lighter note, will a computerized car prevent its driver from practicing his trumpet behind the wheel? I just had to add that.
We really did see such a thing once.