I Will Always Be A Driver - Never A Rider

I was just getting off the highway after dropping my parents off in Detroit to catch a flight. My dad allowed me to drive the ‘new’ to him Ford Gearing Customized Conversion Van. I was behind the wheel of what parents saw as their pride and joy. The van previously was a ‘homemade’ custom that was gutted and forced into service as a painting truck due to my dad being let go after 24.5 years at Dana Spicer as a Gear Maker in Toledo.

The van was loaded except for a sink and stove. Carrying on my dad’s habits, I was always quick to hit the cruise control. My mom was not an advocate, but I saw it as a way to take in the scenery that lies ahead while cruising the interstate. I never saw it as a safety issue by what if it does not unengaged, and at that time, it was a little crude with slight hills causing a bump in the RPM. My mom saw that as unsettling, but my mom’s driving was unsettling to my dad and myself. One time my dad did say “you are going to kill me riding with me” but that is another story altogether.

The conditions of the drive we snow were falling and a touch slick. The vacation that encompassed the flight usually occurred in the winter. My sister was working for a cruise line and my parents liked to cruise. Well, my mom did, my dad was like I rather am at the drags. Like any teenager, I thought I was in a hurry all the time, for what, hell I don’t know. Cruise control on, ACDC blasting, van humming along and I tap the breaks on the slight v that separates the interstate from the interstate.

Nothing, speed is still constant, no slight notice in RPM, Shit. Okay, I thought to myself, maybe a little harder, a quick hard tap, still nothing, a ramp is approaching curve to Main Street. I am once again, a little shocked and stomach drops a tad. “What to do? What to do? F@#$ Shit.” Back of my mind, “Kevin you can drive it, but take good care of it, I don’t want anything to happen to it.” Okay, right before slamming into a row of cars waiting for the main light, I unwillingly grab the shift lever and slide it into neutral.

I coast to the shoulder to not be a potential accident victim and shut off the car. “Who Made Who Blasting (IRONIC now I think about it)? I collect my composure, click on the window to a couple of inches and I put my head back to reassess that my life will go on and I will still be part of the family. What the hell happened? I started the van up and drove it to school.

Why all of the above? How can that story of 26 years ago mean anything to what is going on currently? Autonomous Driving, the hot thing of the future, from UBER to Apple, To GM to Mercedes Bens, from TESLA to all others want in on the hottest thing since satellite radio was coming on the scene. (MY opinion)

I have a question for you folks, you ever notice, the person with the Garmin in the Windshield is always the one that is holding up traffic, not maintaining the lanes, etc. I have no idea that shit got passed the NTSB, “Here why don’t we put something that you can stick right on your windshield that will block your field of peripheral vision.” Really, how is it when I worked at Safelight auto glass if the crack or chip was in your field of vision, it was Mandatory to get that replaced. If not replaced or fixed, you opened yourself up to a fine. I guess it is just like the bullshit with drones, no drones; wait drones are okay as long as you PAY THE GOVT for a license to fly what you own. Huh, whatever doesn’t get me started?

To all the companies that think this is the hottest thing since the Electric Car, kind of didn’t work out since last year the big truck was once again the most sold, I want to control my car, at all times, minus the cruise control. Mercedes and other luxury makes had or do have things that can ready your safety systems prior to impact, I am fine with that.

Here is what really gets my goat, as they say,

"In the distant future, I think people may outlaw driving cars because it's too dangerous," Musk said. "You can't have a person driving a two-ton death machine."

Later on Tuesday, Musk took to twitter to clarify his position, saying,

"when self-driving cars become safer than human-driven cars, the public may outlaw the latter. Hopefully not.

"To be clear, Tesla is strongly in favor of people being allowed to drive their cars and always will be. Hopefully, that is obvious," Musk wrote.

So, what do you think his real desire is? I think it is the earlier statement that was ‘accidently’ stated prior to being filtered and spun into the later.

This scares me to the core. Why do you ask? How do you ask?

WHY

Freedoms are being limited as well as taken away

Freedom of speech - How dare you criticize those that follow Islam while Extremists have committed acts of terrorism on US Soil? Loretta Lynch wanting to use the full power of the Office of US Attorney General to Make Those that Speak Against Islam a criminal act

Freedom of Press - Close Door Meetings with Muslim Brotherhood, etc. in the White House Close Door Meetings for ACA, Close Door Meetings for Anything Obama Wants To Shove Down Our Throats. Hillary Clinton when she is running for President (So Much for the Most Transparent Administration in History)

Right to Bear Arms – well we all know what just happened, At Least, the Gov’t has 1.5 Billion or More UN issued Rounds of Ammo, you never know when Dept. of Prosperity will Have to Go Commando on Someone

Right to Travel Uninterrupted without Question or Interrogation (not exact but you get what I am going for)

HOW

I do not want a car that will know everything about me. What if you want to go to a Strip Club, you start getting notices about being ‘Saved,’ or going to Hell? What if you want to have a few beers, it saw you had a few beers and then your doctor knows and starts asking if you have a drinking problem? You raise your voice to your Significant Other and it is calling the Marriage Counselor and setting appointments or worse yet Steve Harvey gets on the Speakers with his Gospel? You say high to a female in another car and it asks you if your wife would approve. You are getting some fast food and it starts analyzing how much fat you are taking in and asks you when the next time it can program a drive to the gym is? Enough ENOUGH !!!!!!!

I do not want to be connected to everything Single Corporation so I can bombard with the advertisement at nausea. I do not want a car that I have no control of whatsoever. I do not want to drive a computer that drives me to my destination I put in. Hey Computer, what if I just want to drive, you know take a long strip of road and enjoy the apexes of the curves and let the tires give a little squeal I turn in hard? Is it not going to let me because that is not the destination and it would be a waste of Natural Resources? You think my assumptions are extreme? You know with the entire Conveyor like Legislation and the Collaboration with the UN on top of that, nothing that I stated is really that outlandish in all reality. Hint Smart Meters, Drones Registered, Guns etc. etc.

It is not convenience, it is simply more control. We are in America dammit if I am a heavy breaker, I don’t want Liberty Mutual if that is my insurance company to know. I say enough already with all the connections in the vehicle.

What I want and I am almost assured that I am not the only one, a car that HAS NO Electronics in the vehicle; this is minus engine electronic systems. Do I care about the environment, sure, everyone does. Are electric cars going to save the planet with ‘Climate Change’ if so call believed that transfer of wealth scam, you really fall for that. Go ahead and ask your favorite “Earth Saver”, we all know of one. After they give you how ecofriendly their vehicle of choice is, go up to them and ask “Humor me, let’s ponder for a second shall we, where is that ‘Electricity’ taken from? Just plug it in your car, well guess what Sherlock if you are in OHIO, we are 60% Coal driven. That kind of defeats the idea of you being ‘earth friendly?”

We don’t need all the incredibly confusing crap going on in our dashboards, trust me, I sat in a Cadillac and as a technology veteran of over a decade, I was like what the hell? Look at that age group, in the late 50’s and 60’s, hell that is like encouraging them to become a traffic statistic. (Maybe someone enterprising could sell pre-need there as well, hell I am 43, I was completely blown away). It hurt my eyes to see all the colors, dots, numbers and letters.

We already have been overloaded with way too much tech. Please go ahead all the Auto Companies, invest in all these Autonomous Cars, please, you think the market really wants that go for it. Do not go crying to the gov’t when you can’t move them off the lot ‘Chevy Volt’, Chevy Spark. Don’t you think we have had enough of all the ‘controls’ that have been erupted on the populous under this administration as it is? Remember when they proposed black boxes to get taxed per mile due to the cars being more fuel efficient, the infrastructure coffers were running dry.

You won’t be able to reach me, why, BECAUSE I AM BEHIND THE WHEEL, MY TUCHUS FIRMLY PLANTED IN THE SEAT THAT IS THE DRIVER’S. =PPPPP