When I worked as a newspaper reporter, each year I ordered a special planner book that I could easily tuck inside my camera bag, and I took it everywhere.
In it, I recorded every interview, meeting and photo op that I needed to attend. I had names, addresses, phone numbers and directions all scribbled next to the dates and times of each of the places I needed to be.
I trusted the book with everything.
Using that book kept me on top of things, and I credited it for my success in juggling my duties.
After a few years of using this trusty system, I met a new reporter who started working in our small newsroom. When we were talking, he mentioned that he preferred to use the calendar option on his computer. “I would never trust the calendar on the computer,” I replied as I looked at my trusty, weathered planner smeared with my messy writing.
When I think about that now, I find it absolutely absurd. I use the calendar feature on my computer and phone for everything.
I have many online calendars that keep track of work meetings, volunteer meetings, personal meetings and all of my child’s activities. I find it so easy that I can send and receive calendar invites, and I trust them far more than I ever would a paper planner.
It’s amazing how our opinions can change when things get normalized.
On several occasions, we have heard about people caught sleeping behind the wheel of self-driving Teslas.
Most recently, I saw a video posted of a woman in Vancouver sleeping behind the wheel while travelling on the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge.
I am sure all of us have seen several different videos posted of Tesla drivers asleep at the wheel. This has not yet been normalized, but what if it is?
I can’t imagine sleeping behind the wheel, even if the car can drive itself.
Tesla has publicly noted that the autopilot feature provides its cars with coding to steer, accelerate and brake, but acknowledges that active driver supervision is required, and the vehicle is not autonomous.
Currently, it is illegal to sleep behind the wheel of a car on autopilot — or a regular car, to be clear.
I can’t see myself driving a car with an autopilot function anytime in the near future. There is the cost to factor in, but also, I don’t think I could a trust a car to drive itself. With the autopilot option on vehicles still being relatively new, I would have a hard time trusting it if I were awake, let alone asleep. If something goes wrong, the outcome could be deadly.
As we navigate this new world of self-driving cars, we will end up going one of two ways. In the first, we will use the autopilot feature as nonchalantly as we do power windows. Autopilot could be the new tool to revolutionize self-care, allowing us to nap during commutes.
Or, sleeping behind the wheel will be cracked down on, the same way unbuckled seatbelts, drinking and driving, and texting and driving are. Maybe unconscious driving will be the new distracted driving.
charlahuber@outlook.com
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