Breaking rules

It's a peculiar thing, but electronics and rule breaking seem to go hand in hand - at least as far as the average driver is concerned. It is hard to hide from electronics. The ubiquitous microchip is everywhere, from the kitchen to the lounge to the garden and especially in the motor vehicle - where there are now more electronics than ever were involved in the moon landing.

But the rise of technology in the vehicle seems to have given drivers a false sense of security and an arrogance that are both dangerous and deadly. There is no doubt that the modern vehicle is safer, more economical to run and emits fewer emissions than its predecessors, but is this technology contributing to law breaking?

Take the average speeding driver. He sweeps past at 20 km/h above the speed limit knowing he has Buckley’s chance of being caught by a handheld camera operated by a policeman disguised as a roadside bottlebrush. The driver is confident, probably subconsciously, that his ABS and stability control systems will keep him out of trouble.

Within the vehicle we have computerised engine management and diagnostic systems. We have the abovementioned ABS and traction control. We have systems to warn of drifting into the adjoining lane. We have parking assist cameras and sensors, and still more sensors that automatically apply the brakes if we get overfriendly with the vehicle in front.

Then we have the ‘convenience’ devices such as rain-sensing wipers, dark-sensing lights and warnings of low tyre pressures. The list goes on. So it seems surprising that despite all this technical wizardry, the roads teem with drivers determined to break the driving rules because “rules were made to be broken”.

The ‘no speed limit here’ cowboys are the worst. They are often to be seen half hanging out of the window as if they haven’t quite made up their mind whether to get in or not - driving a ute or a flat tray. Then there are the U-turn turners at traffic lights or at the spots where it says in large letters “No U turn”. Then there is the driver so close behind you that you can see the colour of his eyes, tempting you to open the boot and welcome him in for a free ride.

And how often do you see a driver getting into all sorts of contortions as he tries to carry on a conversation on his mobile phone. I wish I could have a quid for the number of times I have seen a woman manoeuvring a four-wheel drive round a shopping centre car park with a mobile phone clamped to her ear, mouth going at 60 km/h; and to keep the instrument in place, her shoulders twisted into a very good imitation of Quasi Modo. Again, it’s electronics offering up the chance to break the law and risk injury.

The list of broken rules is endless from P-platers who seem to think that so long as the plate is on the vehicle, they comply with the law. For other drivers it becomes a guessing game to spot the plates, a corner of which is often all that can be seen peeping shyly from behind the number plate. Then there are the drunks and drug-affected who get behind the wheel. Maybe we should make mandatory the use of a breath device that prevents the engine being started until the driver has ‘passed’ his drug and alcohol ‘test’. Although we already have cars that park themselves and driverless cars are just round the corner, so to speak, we haven’t yet reached the electronic sophistication where a few microchips can replace the complexities and judgemental ability of the human brain.

The next generation of motorists may well be driving mechanically silent, all-electric vehicles hopefully fitted with a klaxon to warn of their approach rather than the driver breaking another rule by leaning out of the window and vigorously shaking a  hand bell