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Iowa | I don't have a lot of the new tech and don't want most of it other than maybe the backup cameras. A backup camera would be useful when hooking up a trailer and possibly would prevent backing over a small child crawling around behind a vehicle. On the other hand, the automatic braking in combination with the backup camera can make reverse troublesome if you are trying to back up through some tall grass. That can get old real quick on some jobs.
Traction control makes it harder to break through snow drifts on a gravel road when you want the wheels to cut down to the gravel. The same principle applies to the anti lock brakes that won't allow the wheel to cut through the snow and hook up with the gravel underneath. It looks like these features are making people more dependent on the tech and less capable when driving on icy roads (or anywhere). The same applies when trying to navigate a mudhole.
Physical levers, buttons, and knobs that one could operate in the dark without taking eyes off the road have been replaced with touch screens and menus to flip through to engage basic functions vital to driving.
The one that irritates me the most is the adaptive cruise control. If I was prone to causing a road rage incident, it would likely be the result of someone tailgating me on a two lane road when they have every opportunity to pass or back off. It seems like aggressive driving from my perspective, but they are most likely half asleep at the wheel or flipping through their smart phone with their adaptive cruise engaged. I'm on some of these roads frequently. They are heavily patrolled and need to be. I can't drive much over the speed limit without getting my quota of annual speeding tickets. I'm guessing a lot of these people with adaptive cruise must have them set at higher speeds for roads with higher speed limits and will still tailgate even if I'm going 20 mph over the limit.
They don't make many cars and trucks that I like anymore. I want all manual controls and a full set of analog gauges. Guess that makes me a grumpy old man.
Edited by tigger 4/19/2026 12:13
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Is technology making us unsafe-- or safer ?
