The dog in the car does not replace the brain in the head
02/09/2026
No more crying children or bandaged accident victims – the large signs on Swiss freeways, which are intended to appeal to drivers' consciences, have a new motif: a floppy-eared basset hound, whose connection to road traffic is explained by the fact that a modern car with its electronic nose can also follow tracks. Followed by the request: "Use driver assistance systems!"
But this is not good advice. It is an act of surrender. Because it doesn't tackle the cause of permanent distraction, but merely tries to curb the symptoms. What's more, it even encourages people to occupy themselves with something other than driving while driving. Because basically, the message is: "Be as short-sighted, inattentive and irresponsible as you like. It doesn't matter – your car will sort it out for you."
In my opinion, there are only two words that belong on a sign like this: "Pay attention!". Because many people don't realize: adaptive cruise control, emergency braking assist and lane departure warning systems are not intended to take the work out of driving. They are merely intended to help the driver control the vehicle in exceptional situations. That is why they are called "assistants" and not "proxies".
Even with all the electronic helpers, driving remains an actual activity and is not something you can do while texting or reading the newspaper. Anyone who blasts around in two tons of metal at blatantly superhuman speeds (raise your hand if you can run at 120 km/h) should devote their undivided attention to it. And that should also be written on these educational signs.
If you drive attentively, you will be able to anticipate dangerous situations before they arise – whereas the electronics can only react once the emergency has already occurred. Just last week, a subconscious premonition of this kind prevented my classic car, which I had bought just three and a half hours earlier, from being turned into a lump of scrap metal by a modern compact car on the way home.
And that's exactly why I like old cars. Because the absence of active and passive safety equipment means that you avoid any distraction purely out of self-protection – which inevitably also protects other road users. But if you consciously rely solely on your assistants, you don't really need them at all. Because there is one thing that even the best electronics cannot protect you from: Stupidity.
