" Time and again, this sort of "out of control" scenario is being played out on our roads to deadly effect.
So many times we hear of people mistaking the brake for the accelerator...
And the thing is no one seems to realise that the real root of the problem lies in how car controls are laid out.
The universally accepted combination of brake & accelerator pedals side by side along with clutch have remained the same for nearly one hundred years.
Yet people who study these things (ergonomists) and psychologists can tell you that the level of motor skills needed for this sort of layout is very high & very complex in terms of co-ordinating feet and hands.
It is about time car designers recognised these issues & brought the whole system into the 21st Century.
For a start..all of us have been in emergency braking situations. Our instinct is to grip the steering wheel tightly. So why don't car designers utilise that to put brake sensors into steering wheels ?
Or better still..get rid of the steering wheel altogether and use a steering column similar to that of motor bike handle bars with brake levers.
( Ferrari already does something like this in Formula one )
This single step, ( putting brake grip/handles on steering collumn ) would go a long way towards reducing the carnage on the roads.. ...."
Comments
Originally posted by lolo
I feel like a million years old.
We all did at your age.
" Time and again, this sort of "out of control" scenario is being played out on our roads to deadly effect.
So many times we hear of people mistaking the brake for the accelerator...
And the thing is no one seems to realise that the real root of the problem lies in how car controls are laid out.
The universally accepted combination of brake & accelerator pedals side by side along with clutch have remained the same for nearly one hundred years.
Yet people who study these things (ergonomists) and psychologists can tell you that the level of motor skills needed for this sort of layout is very high & very complex in terms of co-ordinating feet and hands.
It is about time car designers recognised these issues & brought the whole system into the 21st Century.
For a start..all of us have been in emergency braking situations. Our instinct is to grip the steering wheel tightly. So why don't car designers utilise that to put brake sensors into steering wheels ?
Or better still..get rid of the steering wheel altogether and use a steering column similar to that of motor bike handle bars with brake levers.
( Ferrari already does something like this in Formula one )
This single step, ( putting brake grip/handles on steering collumn ) would go a long way towards reducing the carnage on the roads.. ...."
Dunno about the US, but my mum NEVER did a test, and she's 60. Scares the pee outta me everytime we go for a drive. Test everyone; every year?