I must be getting older.
The reason I know this (besides the gray hairs and the face sag) is I'm constantly complaining about people's driving habits. The lack of considerate people on the road is staggering. We're all in such a hurry, minding our on business, focused on the prize, and every other cliché out there, that we forget there are other people who populate terra firma.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when people don't use their blinker, turn signal, directional, or whatever you may call them. It frustrates me beyond belief. You can ask Betty.
Now I'm not saying I'm the best driver. I know I do things that I shouldn't. But when it comes to making a turn and I know there's a car behind me, in front of me, or waiting to turn out of the street that I'm entering, I use my signal. That way, everyone knows what I'm doing. And it allows them to drive accordingly. Besides, it's one of the easiest things to do.
With that said, I had this idea that'll help those drivers who have trouble pushing up (or down) that pesky, plastic stick on the left side of the steering column. It is so hard sometimes, I know.
The idea is this: make the turn signal automatic.
How do you do this? Well my thought was to incorporate it into the GPS system. I'm sure there are a lot of holes in this reasoning, but this is just to get the ball rolling. If you have any suggestions to this, feel free to comment below.
Now you may say, not every car has a GPS. Well, I understand this. But a lot of vehicles are offering them these days. Soon, my guess is, most every model will have a GPS once the cost to incorporate them decreases. How long is that going to be? I don't know.
Okay so let's say that hurdle has been jumped, and every vehicle now comes complete with a GPS system. How does it activate the turn signal? Well, GPS systems already give you turn-by-turn directions – it knows every single turn you'll make. And the systems currently warn you when you're getting close to a turn. Now all we need to do is to wire it to the directional. So when you're 100 feet away from your upcoming turn, the signal automatically turns on. Boom. Solved.
Also, the GPS would be able to save all the destinations you drive to most. And it'd have a voice activated feature. That way, you'd just tell the system where you're going.
Okay, so it's not totally solved. There are some obstacles.
Like, what if you're in the left lane and you need to make a righthand turn and you can't get over in time? Well, I think that's going to have to be solved with driving practice. People need to understand to merge right (or left depending on the turn) as they get closer to a turn. A mile out or so. You have to be able to foresee and plan for the turn. I know foresight can be a bitch sometimes. it means you have to pay attention to what you're doing. But hey, I have faith.
Another obstacle: "But what if I'm daydreaming (on the phone, yelling at my kids, singing to the song on the radio) while I'm driving, and I miss the turn." Well, maybe you should be concentrating more on driving.
Yet another obstacle. What if you don't have a particular destination? What if you're going on a Sunday Drive? Hmmm. This one I have to think about. Maybe the system has an option where you don't input a destination. And maybe the turn signal, isn't completely taken off the steering column, just for this reason. That way, you'll still need to manually signal you're going to turn. Might have to think this one a little more. Maybe it's that the GPS system learns your driving habits and can tell when you're about to turn. I mean if Volvo is making cars that can stop on their own, this shouldn't be too hard to figure out. Maybe we can use some lasers! Lasers are cool!
Now, I understand this idea would not solve all the terrible driving we encounter on the road. There are always going to be those a-holes who could care less about our, and their own, safety. But I think this might help.
Just think about all the accidents that may be avoided because of this idea. Then think about how it'll affect everyone's insurance. Premiums could decrease drastically.
Maybe not, though. It's just an idea, remember. Someone who has more experience in traffic study, auto design, or whatever hoozeewhatsis this would fall under needs to take a look at this.
Now someone may already be designing such a system. I don't know. It's really something that kinda sprang into my head while I was driving this morning and continued to think about as I drove home from the supermarket.
See, I told you I'm not the best driver.
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