Quote:
Originally Posted by AF
man my headlights are off, it took me forever to find the switch  |
After my dad hit about 60, learning new cars became an increasingly difficult chore for him. Putting him in the driver seat of a rental...oh boy. Finding and figuring out how to operate the control to do whatever the thing he wanted took 100% of his concentration. He'd wait until he was stopped to adjust the climate controls, but if it suddenly started raining and he didn't where the windshield wiper controls were or how they operated?
Part of it was him, part was age, but a big part is that so few controls are "standard" any more. Every manufacturer is afraid of the others' patents so, instead of licensing, they try to build a better mousetrap. So every car with an automagic trimode-paddleshifting-buttonpushing-CVTPDKDSGSMG transmission with super clear and obvious gear and mode names with their controls on the console, behind the wheel, on the wheel, on the back of the wheel, and who the fuck knows were else does its part to ensure nothing works the same.
It's dangerous. It's costly. It's annoying. It's fucking stupid.
There was a time if you could hop in one car and get to driving in 10 seconds, you could get in any car and get to driving in 10 seconds. Get in a new car today...?
Anyway, before I rant