Technology is supposed
to make our lives easier, allowing us to do things more quickly and
efficiently. But too often it seems to make things harder, leaving us with
fifty-button remote controls, digital cameras with hundreds of mysterious
features and book-length manuals, and cars with dashboard systems worthy of the
space shuttle.
James
Surowiecki
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| James Surowiecki - American journalist |
You know things have
gone too far when cars are being compared to space shuttles. Back in the 19th
century, in the early days of cars, cars were simply defined as self-powered motor
vehicles of usually four wheels. They gained massive popularity in 20th
century when their production started to be concentrated on every day’s people’s
needs. Most of the car users, i.e. buyers, live in North America, Europe and
Australia. This especially applies to English speaking countries. Nevertheless,
car production and development does not occur only in those areas.
Instead of greater
focus on nowadays problems caused by cars, such as road accidents, traffic jams
and air pollution, developers often concentrate on comfort provided by a
vehicle a little bit too much. Comfortable seats are, for example, luxury but
also a necessity for long distance drivers. However, putting TVs in cars,
having special cup holders along with so many functions regarding radios,
navigation systems and so many other car gadgets proudly participate in distracting users' attention from
bigger (potential) problems.
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| Complicated consoles with too many gadgets |
No matter how great the
company is, every buyer should think through a couple of things. Price is, of
course, very important but not as much as the actual efficiency of the car.
Looks and gadgets of a car should never be the first things considered. On the
other hand, one of the most important topic is safety. Popularity of the
company and higher price do not necessarily mean the best quality. Things such
as air bags, ABS (anti-lock braking system) and ASR (anti-slip regulation) are
crucial in emergency situations and their characteristics should be checked
first. Then comes the fuel – the type of the fuel the car is using and the
amount spent on certain distances. The type of the fuel could determine the
price of the car very often. New, innovative fuels which are safe(r) for
environment could be more expensive, however, in long terms this is often paid
off by cheaper price of the recharging and protection of the environment as
well. The amount spent per certain distances is usually well considered if one
decides for “traditional” fossil fuel vehicles. Energy consumption and its
participation in environment pollution is very important in tax charges in some
countries.
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| ABS saves lives |
Cars are
not space shuttles, therefore, there is no need of mystification. Certain
things are important while others are there to provide comfort to the user.
When cars become luxury and not necessity, which often means their gadgets are
added just as symbols of prestige, their prices are higher and their primary
efficiency are quite often lower proportionally. Parking guidance function can
be of huge help to fresh drivers or drivers of bigger vehicles. When it is on a
MINI Cooper – its purpose does not serve as much. Gadgets are appealing but
should not be considered more than a car’s primary functions. They are usually
the reason for comparing a car to a space shuttle. However, when things get out
of control, when emergency situations become reality, no one reaches for a
fancy cup holder or looks at a cool decorative sticker on the trunk. At such
moments it is more than helpful not to get distracted by so many buttons and shiny
lamps on the console.