Things Were Better When Horsepower Was Provided By Horses

Transportation secretary Roy LaHood, in between TV appearances to wag his finger at Toyota (competitor of governmetn-run entities like GM), has looked into the abyss of a future filled with smart cars full of weird, incomprehensible gizmos and proclaimed it not so good.

LaHood also wants "a device to shut down phones and BlackBerrys when the engine is started." And he's not a fan of GPS, satellite radio, and other enhancements that make time in the car more enjoyable, explaining in curmudgeon dialect that "I'm concerned that some of these car manufacturers are putting all these gadgets and bells and whistles in cars that are going to distract people."

Forget all the unintended consequences -- if I'm in an accident but the engine is still running, will I be able to call for help? Not even if I'm stuck in a runaway Toyota? -- doesn't that quote smack of "things were better in my day"? You know, back when women weren't allowed to drive and you stopped cars with your bare feet. When traffic signals were controlled by trained monkeys and traffic reporters rode astride pterodactyls.

I heard a radio spot this morning on my drive to work. It solemnly intoned that texting while driving is a dangerous thing, like smoking napalm or dating Amy Winehouse. It said, "get rid of all distrations while driving". I wondered if that included listening to the radio, the oldest driving distraction of all.

(Link via Overlawyered)