<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0plvLP_0vLTqSdi00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0plvLP_0vLTqSdi00" width="650" height="466" ><figcaption>Ken Grabowski (File photo) </figcaption></figure> It’s almost scary when you think about the leaps and bounds technology has made during the last decade in all facets of our life, but one area where it really stands out is in the <a href="https://www.manisteenews.com/columns/article/evolution-summer-rides-manistee-county-19580120.php" rel="nofollow"> world of automobiles. </a> Everything from <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/rankings/best-hybrid-cars" rel="nofollow"> electric vehicles, hybrids </a> and what is contained under the hood to the multitude of options contained on the dashboard has changed dramatically thanks to technology. With all the things being added we are pretty much reaching the point where those individuals who fix vehicles&nbsp;must be as savvy about technology as they are about the general principles of how cars have operated for decades. The days of fixing just about anything on your car with a screwdriver, pliers, and a hammer are long gone. Likewise, the days of purchasing a 'Plain Jane' type of vehicle just to get you from Point A to Point B are getting harder to find. This interest was sparked by an article titled "Tech Made Easy" in the September edition of <a href="https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/members-only-access/aarp-the-magazine/?cmp=KNC-DMP-MOA-MOA-NonMembers-Publications-Brand-Phrase-61429-GOOG-NONMEMBER-AARPMagazine-Phrase&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwiuC2BhDSARIsALOVfBJUVbrQamEigemGyxYbWh5HdVnIpW9PZpUrauuO1w-6f8J9UObpJR8aAi-hEALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds" rel="nofollow"> AARP Magazine </a> . It told about some of the more unique changes and technology advances coming to cars. With the rapid addition of these technological improvements, one wonders if, in the future, drivers will need to go through a checklist before leaving their driveway, akin to airline pilots. Plus you wonder if they add much more it will become necessary to take a training course just to figure out how to drive the car when you purchase it. Technology starts ticking in the vehicle game even before we slide our chubby backside cheeks into that heated seat or air conditioned cab which began when we pushed a button for the automatic start while sitting at our kitchen table. Another interesting part of the AARP story was how misplaced car keys will soon become an obsolete problem. They now make an app where your keys can essentially be kept in your phone and your car can detect your phone in your pocket to open the doors just as it does with a key. Of course they never mentioned people like me who lose their phone around the house as much as they do their keys. Also kind of makes you wonder what they do if a person goes off somewhere without their phone and lock their doors manually, but then again locksmiths haven’t become obsolete …yet. The days of rolling down a window in summer to cool off or flicking the heater to the high position in winter have now been replaced by area climate control. It’s also not a one size fits all; grandma riding in the&nbsp;back seat can make her section of the car warmer with the heater blasting while right across the&nbsp;back seat junior can have the cool air flowing in from the air conditioner. Thanks to technology you can even back out of the driveway safely with the backup camera and warning system that beeps to alert you about anything in your path. So if the trash collector left your garbage bin in the middle of the driveway or the neighbor kid who rides down the sidewalk 50 times a day is in the way, an alarm will sound. The question it also brings up is, “How much technology in a car is too much where it becomes a distraction while driving? We thought talking on cell phones or drinking a big mug of coffee was a distraction while driving, but so is searching for some kind of technology on a very busy dashboard.” Of course there also is what I like to refer to as the “Big Brother is watching syndrome” in honor of George Orwell’s 1949 classic novel “1984.” The AARP article also noted how your car can monitor your driving habits and that part of the technology was just a little scary to say the least. I know of people who own new vehicles and through technology monitors on their cars they receive a report sent to them&nbsp;— via more technology with email&nbsp;— on their driving habits. If they change lanes on a freeway or turn without signaling, wander in their lane, brake too hard or do jack rabbit starts at intersections they get written up in the report. Some of the things they talked about are helpful, but others kind of make you wonder what they are doing with that data and who has access to it. There were rumors some insurance companies were getting access to the data and raising bad drivers' rates. The AARP story also talked about two other features that go so far as to monitor if you are getting drowsy while driving. They monitor the vehicle's movements to determine if it is swerving and others have cabin facing cameras to watch for signs of yawns or rapid eye blinks. If it happens, your car - or Big Brother - will tell you with a message that your need to pull over and take a break. In other words they will nab you in the blink of an eye. The story also talked about how some vehicles with cruise control technology determine if you are going too fast for the traffic flow and it automatically slows you down or speeds you up., As for me, I am still waiting for them to develop the technology that will wash, wax and vacuum my car on its own but that one is probably not going to happen before we meet again on Monday. Ken Grabowski is a retired journalist who spent more than 36 years in the newspaper business. </div></body>

Mountain View, CA

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KEN GRABOWSKI: How technology has changed the way we drive cars

Columnist: With the rapid addition of technological improvements to automobiles, one wonders if drivers will soon need a checklist before leaving their driveway.