Brakes on Your Budget? Auto Tech Gets Pricier

More things were announced today that are going to make buying a car more expensive.

The National Transportation and Highway Administration announced that in 5 years all new cars must be equipped with emergency braking systems. They said it could possibly save 40,000 lives a year. I don't know where they got their estimate, but that seems a little high to me. The thing about it is they say that 90 percent of all new cars right now already have it, and you don't know it.

Those things SHOULD remain secret, or people will become complacent and think they are bulletproof because there is a system to protect them.

They also announced that by the end of the year, there will be 25 semis using Highway 45 in Texas that are 100 percent autonomous. That means 80,000 pounds moving down the road at 70 mph with NO drivers.

I think that's a bad idea because there are some things that the system will not understand. For instance, what if you come up on a road construction site and there is a Flagman giving hand gestures or holding a sign? How is the semi going to understand human communication if it's not a frequency or signal? In an emergency situation, how will it recognize which maneuver is less likely to cause damage or injury? Move right or move left? These things are going to open up a whole new world of litigation, and a line of attorneys will be waiting to jump on it.

It seems like there is a rush to be first in this industry, and it may be better to wait...

See you tomorrow at 5.