Safe Driving with Driverthink

When did we give up Driving our cars and start simply Riding in them?

It’s an interesting question, posed recently on one of the car commercials we hear every day.  I couldn’t Google the ad but I think it was BMW.  The question raises an interesting topic that has been occasionally referenced in past Driverthink articles.

Let’s zero in on when we gave up driving our cars.  Driverthink would suggest it happened in stages.

First, what’s the difference between driving, or riding the car?

When we’re driving the car, we’re in sync with our machine.  We’re focused on how it’s handling, shifting, and steering.  We’re tuned in to road conditions, traffic and are actively feeling how the machine is behaving on the road.  And “machine” is the operative word here.  We understand that we’re operating a machine and appreciate how it will react to our inputs. 

When we’re riding the car, we simply don’t seem to care about all of this “machine” stuff.  We hop behind the steering wheel, crank the ignition, slide it into gear – and when we push the go pedal it just goes.  We give it about as much attention as a non-driving passenger would.  It takes us to where we’re going and that’s about all we care about.  We’re focused on just about anything other than driving.  We may technically be driving, but primarily, we’re just along for the ride. 

Now in all fairness to a large segment of the driving population, not all of us have given up “Driving the car”.  For many, however, the notion that we’re operating a very dangerous piece of machinery never really crosses our minds until something ugly happens – and we find ourselves bouncing around inside it.

How did we get so complacent?

Back in the days of the Model T, drivers knew they were operating a machine.  They had to crank it just to get the motor going.  Those planetary gears took a lot of attention.  If drivers hit a rut in the road, those old suspension systems forced them to really “work the car”.

Then cars began to get cushier.  Electric starters made starting the engine automatic.  Turning a key isn’t much of a thought process.  Cars started coming with nicer stuff, like roofs to keep off the rain and windows to isolate us from the elements.  Gear boxes and clutches made shifting easier but drivers still needed to at least feel the engine revolutions to know when to shift.

But “Whoops!”  Along came the Automatic transmission.  Now you didn’t even have to know there was such a thing as an engine.  Slip it into “Drive” and miraculously, off you went.  No really heavy thinking there.

Suspensions improved too.  No longer would a bumpy road jar the fillings out of your teeth and force you to “work your car” over rough terrain.  And speaking of terrain, roads were getting better.  Things also got quieter.  Drivers couldn’t even hear the engine or road noise outside.

Let’s not forget Power Steering either.  In those old buggies you really felt it when you had to muscle that steering wheel into a curve or a turn.  With Power Steering?  A pinky finger would do the trick and if you couldn’t feel the road any more, Detroit, in its infinite wisdom, figured that was a good thing.

In short, road vehicles became more like mini living rooms.  They didn’t require much physical force to operate, or much thought either.  For generations of newer drivers, the concept changed.

Today, it’s no longer about “Driving there”.  It’s simply about “Getting there.”

For those of us who lived through the changes, perhaps we got kind of lazy. Newer generations simply weren’t forced to appreciate and understand the concept that, when driving a car from point A to point B – driving should be at least a minor part of the equation.

We still have Drivers.  Regardless of the generation we still have people who are in touch with their machines.  If you ask almost any driver why they own a Stick Shift car, they’ll likely tell you, “It keeps me driving”.  Motor Cycle operators had better be Drivers and there are still serious Drivers in everything from muscle cars to our everyday basic buggies.

But we’ve got lots of Riders too.  They slip behind the wheel, slide it into “drive” and just ride along until they get where they’re going.  Manufacturers even cater to Riders with “blind spot” alerts and cars that park themselves.  Cute gimmicks that serious Drivers shouldn’t really need.

Vehicles today provide a very comfortable, effortless mode of transportation.  But they’re still machines.  They still require attention.

If you’re a Rider, try learning to “Drive the Car” – before that comfy but still dangerous machine finds ways to remind you – that it still deserves respect!