Eyes On The Road
Don’t let technology take over what humans can do better
By Ron Ciancutti
I recently saw a truck commercial where the driver took his hands off the wheel and began to play patty-cake by himself. As the music swelled with the beat, he sat back comfortably, presumably to await the oncoming 18-wheeler being driven by a guy who was probably busy trying to reset his cell phone clock. The advantage there was that both drivers would have an accurate time of death when the “head-on” collision occurred.
© Can Stock Photo / AndreyPopov
Are you kidding me with this?
People are becoming so preoccupied with automation that we need to free ourselves on a highway to perhaps read a novel or do our taxes as a magic Genie drives us to Grandma’s house? If something suddenly occurs while driving, wouldn’t you prefer to have your hands on the wheel to navigate oncoming traffic, an animal in the road, or a car driving too closely behind?
A Roadside Emergency
My son lives about 125 miles away, and my wife and I drive every few weeks to treat him and his wife to lunch on a Saturday. Typically, when I know we’re going to take such a jaunt, I gas up the car on a Thursday or Friday. And most of the time, I take advantage of the “top-off” policy at the local oil-change pit stop. It ensures the tires are properly filled, fluid levels are topped, and the wipers are in good shape. It gives me a feeling of security before heading out.
I took those precautions last week, and just as I wheeled onto a turnpike ramp, the left rear tire blew out. I immediately slowed from 65 mph to around 45 mph, put my emergency flashers on, and gripped the wheel to control any fishtailing while moving off the road on the right side. When we were safely 20 feet off the lane, I began to inspect the damage. Still not knowing what caused the tire to fail, I did notice that the tire was absolutely shot. I called roadside assistance, but after waiting an hour with nothing but promises coming from the other end of the phone, I slowly drove the car off the highway berm and ground it by rubber and rim into a corner gas station. This allowed my wife to use the restroom, buy a cup of coffee, and catch her breath. It was a nerve-racking experience. The roadside-assistance representative called back and said it would be another two hours before help could come. I got my jack out and changed the tire myself. The spare was low so I asked the service-station attendant if there was an air pump to fill my tire. He spoke little English and told me the station only had pop, chips, and bags of ice, but no air. As much as I hated using it, I filled the tire with a can of tire-fixer-air from my toolbox; these cans shoot liquid sealer into the tire stem, making it practically unusable afterwards, but I didn’t have a choice. I was able to drive the car home, drop off my wife, and head to a tire store to buy five tires (including a new spare). I then got back on the road. Although I was quite pleased, at no point did I take my hands off the wheel and begin to clap in rhythm with “We Will Rock You.” With my new tires mounted and balanced, I returned home for dinner, and just as I was finishing my dessert, the roadside-assistance operator called and said the mechanics were on their way. I told them not to bother because I was home. Five minutes later, my wife’s phone rang. Another roadside crew was on the way. She explained we were home, but thanks anyway. Fifteen minutes later, the company called again to ask what ramp we were on. I hung up.
Let’s tally up. Roadside assistance was unable to assist me in any way. The gas station could not change a tire or provide air, but it did have gas, coffee, and Skittles. The crew that checked my tires before I got back on the highway failed to detect a bubble that resulted in a tire being blown wide open on a ramp (as told to me by the shop that inspected the old tire when replacing it with the new). Perhaps before we work on the critical “hands-off” driving feature, we should take a giant step backwards and see to things like customer service, efficient call follow-up, and stocking gas station shelves with products and services that may assist troubled drivers. In the end, the only person I could count on was myself.
Proceed With Caution
I support the advantages of artificial intelligence as much as anyone, but I seem to continually find a dwindling interest in all of the things that made this country great. Not just innovation but the maintenance of things that matter regarding the character and integrity of humans. Remember that, for every punch of a computer key, there is a man or woman pressing that key, using wits and the mind.
In short, we shouldn’t let technology substitute for the pleasures in life and the wisdom involved in knowing things. Test yourself; try to call your friends and parents without using the automatic dial. Would you be able to call anyone for help from the side of the road if your cell phone went dead? Pretty scary, huh?
Ron Ciancutti worked in the parks and recreation industry since he was 16 years old, covering everything from maintenance, operations, engineering, surveying, park management, design, planning, recreation, and finance. He is now retired. He holds a B.S. in Business from Bowling Green State University and an M.B.A. from Baldwin Wallace University. He is not on Facebook, but he can be reached at ron@northstarpubs.com.