Though I have a strong preference for analog/physical/mechanical systems in cars, the main reason for this is more that they're far easier and more fun to work

Though I have a strong preference for analog/physical/mechanical systems in cars, the main reason for this is more that they're far easier and more fun to work on, rather than reasons of safety. I'd hazard a guess that in a serious crash you're going to have a far better chance of survival in a modern car (crumple zones, airbags/side-cushions/curtains, ABS etc) vs a ~1980's or older car, and that the cause of said crash would be human error rather than a bug in the engine throttle code.