Toyota's new model Prius - a gas/electic hybrid that gets 50 mpg highway - offers an optional self-parking system: "Toyota President Fujio Cho sat in the driver's seat at a demonstration laid on for the press, surprising reporters by holding his hands up as the car quickly parked itself. 'I forgot to put on the brake,' Cho said. 'But it's easy.'" The option costs about $2,000.
I guess this will sell quickly in a crowded country like Japan, which has over 40% of our population in a country three-quarters the size of California. But I hope it takes off here, too. There is nothing more pathetic or frustrating than watching some suburbanite trying to parallel park. They know they have to look over their shoulder, but they don't know which one, so they try looking over both at once. Similarly, they know they have to cut the wheel at some point, but they don't know when or in which direction, so they try alternating directions at random times. Add a line of Philadelphia drivers stacked up behind said confused suburbanite and the situation goes from farce to impending tragedy. The parker knows it, too - see the wide-eyed look of fear as they desparately try to get out of the way of the blaring horns before someone sends a couple of bullets crashing through their back window.
Nah, it ain't that bad. But it's fun to talk about.
On the down side, people who grow up driving vehicles thus equipped will never learn to parallel park on their own. It's like speed dial - convenient, yes, but soon you have no idea what people's phone numbers are. Lose the phone and you can't call anyone - and most likely, the circumstances which lead to you losing the phone are probably those in which you need to call someone.
A better system would have been one that teaches the driver how to parallel park themselves. A soothing voice over the speakers telling the driver how to line up their car before pulling in, a prompt on when to turn the wheel, maybe even a power assist. Just to keep it interesting, if the driver gets it wrong more than three times electrical contacts in the seat and steering wheel deliver a mild jolt, increasing in intensity and frequency while a furious voice bellows over the sound system: "NO NO NO YOU'RE DOING IT ALL WRONG YOU IDIOT." That would be fun, too. And maybe the recorded sound of gunshots and breaking glass.
I think I'll write to Toyota about the "Philly option."
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