EDITOR’S DESK

Just recently, I’ve been driving a lot of vehicles with a lot of high-tech equipment on board, even cars which are known to be ‘’driver’s’’ cars.

I’m not about to start suggesting we ignore the advantages of safety technology, but some of the features we’re seeing are giving me cause for concern.

Cause for concern that we are – with our adoption of the very latest technology – undermining our ability to drive cars, becoming far too reliant on systems designed to help us.

I believe it is in this publication’s best interests to continue to comment on the ongoing inclusion of the latest technology, but it is equally important for us not to ignore the basics of driving.

To be fair, it would appear most automakers agree with me, as every time new tech is discussed at the launch of a new vehicle, it is always referred to as a ‘driver assistance’ mechanism.

Things like blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, parking distance control, hill start assist, forward collision mitigation, even autonomous emergency braking; all these systems and others are all designed to help the driver – not to replace the driver.

And they are certainly not designed to replace the driver while they are posting on Facebook, applying make- up, drinking coffee, reading the paper or answering the damn phone!

What is frequently forgotten amid the excitement of a ‘ new shiny toy’ in the form of new tech, is that a car’s greatest asset – and liability – is the driver.

All the tech automakers put into their vehicles is no substitute for having a qualified and capable driver at the wheel, and anecdotal evidence suggests there are company’s out there with drivers lacking the qualifications to be on the road.

Granted, they are likely to be very capable drivers, but not legal drivers – and that’s bad news for a company whose non or incorrectly licensed drivers could potentially be involved in a traffic incident.

My point is that while companies are looking to determine the best vehicles for their fleets, it is just as critical for those companies to determine the ability and eligibility of their drivers.

And it is just as critical for those who drive as part of their working day to ensure they are setting the best example they can for those they share the road with.

Recently, I witnessed the driver of a sign-written hazardous waste truck, trundling through a busy intersection chatting away on a cell phone without a care in the world. Prudently, I pulled over and waited for about five minutes before following the same route, just in case something went awry.

Should I have done something else? Taken issue with the driver? Reported the truck? Called a police officer? Quite possibly, but shouldn’t the driver – in the first instance – have been driving in accordance with company policy which surely would have said ‘no cellphone use’ at any time?

So how about your fleet policy? When was the last time you looked it over as either the author of it (the fleet manager) or the reader of it (the fleet driver)?

Perhaps after reading this issue, you might want to hunt it down and review it to be the better driver we all want to see on our roads.