Recently
CBS’s Sunday Morning featured a segment on automation. The segment covered everything from robotics
at an Amazon warehouse, where everything is gathered, packed and shipped
without human intervention, to the growing trend of driverless vehicles.
While robotics has greatly improved
our productivity in industry, it has created a smaller human workforce. Many traditional manufacturing jobs have been
eliminated as a robot can out-work a laborer in nearly every circumstance. They don’t require time off, health care or
maternity leave, they just simply do the job exceptionally well.
While we’ve
come to accept robots doing the menial, repetitive and time consuming tasks a
large work force used to do, it’s the driverless cars and trucks that have me
very concerned.
Sunday Morning featured Otto, a
self-driving 18 wheeler which recently transported a load of beer across
Colorado with no human in the cab. Sunday
Morning did an interview in the cab of an autonomous truck where the driver,
once on the highway, put it into autopilot and the driver became a
passenger. The company was experimenting
with trucks that go automatic once on the freeway, but are driven by humans
once they exit the freeway.
The same experiments are going on
with private cars which concerns me.
While some argue it will make traffic safer and more efficient,
especially in big cities, I remain skeptical.
Some have said it will allow people to actually work in their cars on
their daily commutes, not having to drive.
Face it, who really wants to do that?
As a devout “Gear Head”, one who grew
up with and deeply appreciates the automobile and the freedom it provides, I
find it troubling people are eager to embrace riding around in an automated and
perfunctory mode of transportation.
The
automobile is and always has been, America’s great freedom machine. I find it troubling a generation is willing
to give up the thrill and excitement of driving.
Growing up in Michigan, we have a
strong, symbiotic bond with the auto industry.
America’s greatness and strength grew from the automobile. The automobile created suburbia and gave
people the means to live further from where they worked. No other machine has more profoundly changed
our culture.
As kids, my generation couldn’t wait to drive.
Even the baby seat I sat in when we
traveled had a steering wheel on it.
Most of us growing up in the 60’s and 70’s could still be shade-tree
mechanics. We knew a thing or two about
carburetors, spark plugs, and torque and marveled at the big block engines and
muscle cars until the environmental movement got into the act and forced
regulations.
I’ve been
somewhat disappointed that many drivers today probably can’t find the dip
stick, let alone actually check the oil.
When was the last time you actually saw someone check their oil at a gas
station? Many people today likely wouldn’t
know how to jump start a car if they had to.
It’s true
that our cars have become extremely reliable today thanks to technology and
innovation. Rarely does anyone break
down on the road anymore unless they’ve utterly neglected any form of
maintenance. We rely on our cars without
much thought \ and usually don’t even think about something going wrong. That in many ways is a good thing.
But the
thought of riding around in a car you are not controlling should be anathema to
many of us who still get a thrill exploring the open road and knowing how and
why your vehicle functions. It’s in our
DNA to explore what’s over the horizon and around the next curve. Route 66 was created for the love of driving
and discovery. The thrill of the open
road is a calling many of us still heed.
I hope that impulse never goes away. While technology marches on, many of us still covet the art and thrill of driving. It’s in our blood and no amount of innovation can ever replace the feeling of being in command of your own vehicle and owning your destiny.
Yep, I’m
definitely a gear head! And proud of it!
T. R. Shaw Jr. is CEO and co-founder of Shaw Communication in Battle Creek. You can read his blog, The Reluctant R(L)eader at www.read-mor.blogspot.com
