Driving,

I was about 11 years old and I was worried. It was Saturday morning and as usual I was watching cartoons ( in those days they weren't called animation). I was worried because on the Emerson 12" black and white screen was George Jetson driving a flying car. It wouldn't be long before they would be real and my chance at being the next Mario Andretti would be over. Time was running out. No more rubber on the road, everything would be up in the air. Sigh!!!... I wanted to DRIVE...

Well as usual my worrying was for nothing and here I am 50 years later driving people slightly older than me to Walmart and church everyday. The closest that I ever came to Mario Andretti was when I was about 13 and I threw up from the flu out the window of a VW bus as we toured the banked turns of the Indianapolis Speedway on one of many summer family vacations....(thanks for the adventure Mom).

But I will predict that driving as we know will change....... soon.

It has already started. Cars that park themselves. Video cameras helping you back up. Directions and a map from a voice on a screen. They even tell you things like your too close to the car next to you and do the braking for you ( anti lock brakes....we used to stop the car ourselves)  Soon we wont be driving cars at all. Check out the Google car. Thousands of computer driven miles and the only accident was when a human did an override. We will plug in a destination away we go. In fact I predict we wont even own the cars. Just pick up the nearest one and drop it off when your done.... ever hear of ZipCar?? No more drunk driving..no cars sitting most of the time in driveways depreciating.

I would never let a computer do the driving you say. I bet they said the same thing the first time an elevator went up without an operator. If you fly I guarantee your plane has landed a few times with the pilot doing little more than watching the lights on the runway.

Well enjoy the steering wheel while you can. You wont be flying like George Jetson but you will have plenty of time to talk, text ,put on makeup,and watch videos...in other words do everything you do on the road NOW.. when I'm there trying to DRIVE!!!!