Monday, January 04, 2016

Admit it, driving sucks

I share some of Atrios' suspicion the self-driving cars are not right around the corner and that the current enthusiasm for them is a bit premature. But part of me likes the fact that so much money is being dumped into self-driving car research because it suggests that a lot of people do not want to drive anymore.

I hate driving, but I always seem to be in the minority on that opinion. When I go somewhere in a car with Mrs. Noz, I always try to get her to drive, and if given a choice between taking a car, or some type of public transit, I will always pick public transit unless the options are really inconvenient.

So is the notion that driving is somehow enjoyable to most people a sham? If driving was really seen as inherently fun, why would there be this much interest (and money) in a car that drives itself?