Sudden dependency

A recent online video of an SUV that seemed to have gone berserk as it speeded backward and forward, hitting cars and motorcycles in  a parking lot raised concerns about the safety of today’s generation of high-tech vehicles.

A debate ensued over whether the incident was caused by the driver’s error or a technological glitch, in this case a possible “sudden unintended acceleration,” when the car’s computer may have acted on its own or against the will of the driver. If it’s the latter case,  then that puts into question the reliability of today’s car electronics and digital systems.

Most of the new cars now use the electronic fuel injector, which has replaced the purely mechanical carburetor as the device that controls  the mixture  and flow of gas into the combustion engine.

Most also run on automatic transmission, which is supposed to make shifting gears easier and eliminate the risk of a vehicle slide  down on reverse from a slope when the clutch and brake are accidentally released while stopping on first gear when you are using the manual gear stick.

A central computer also controls most of the vehicle’s electronics. A  breakdown of this nerve center can cause total failure and the car will  simply cease to function. It takes a specialist  with a laptop to diagnose and revive the device. But the software used is almost always monopolized by the dealer so owners have no choice but to call the company when they have these problems.

Gone are the days when you could just bring your car to any mechanic to fix almost any possible trouble with the machine. One did not have to be a computer geek to understand automotive mechanics before the advent of fuel injection and computer circuitry. Even owners could  teach themselves to be grease monkeys and do their own own car repairs in the garage or on the road during emergencies.

In fact, the simplicity of analog automotive mechanics led to a DIY (do-it-yourself) revolution among car owners as most would prefer to turn their garages into makeshift repair shops or workshops for assembly, customization, and accessorizing of vehicles.

It also made possible the rise of small to medium sized car manufacturing enterprises. One only had to invest in a few machines to be able to assemble the body for an imported car engine. A good example of this is the evolution of the jeepney in the Philippines.

In the decades following the end of  World War II, the demand for motorized vehicles and the lack of foreign car companies in the country led to the rise of many automotive shops that assembled jeepneys and cars of their own design.

Created mostly by the mechanics themselves, the design of jeepneys and the so-called “owner type jeeps” did not follow the streamlined aerodynamic styles of modern Western automobiles.

Instead they reflected a more vernacular style. Indeed the jeepney, with its intricate interior and exterior ornamentatio, is  mobile Filipino folk art.

Following common industry requirements for safety, fuel efficiency and environmental considerations, increasing standardization of car design resulted in vehicles looking more and more the same as manufacturers make different versions for every car category: sedan, hatchback, SUV, pickup, minivan, etc.

This gives little room for indigenous design and customization. It  eventually kills the small scale local automotive industry. But the  most lethal blow    to  local car makers but to the whole community of talyer or small car repair shops  has been the advent of computerization of today’s vehicles.

To buy a brand new car is to fall into the trap of the casa or dealer who has the monopoly of expensive maintenance and repairs. Unfortunately, with digital systems designed for planned obsolescence (unlike cars in the past that were meant to last), most new car owners are caught in the trap of sudden intended dependency.