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I haven't driven one of these cars...is there anything stopping the driver from nudging the gear selector up to neutral? I also don't agree with your point abo

I haven't driven one of these cars...is there anything stopping the driver from nudging the gear selector up to neutral? I also don't agree with your point about point #3 being a sound decision on its own. Keyless ignition is convenient, but there's no reason not to have a kill switch besides aesthetics. And they probably could have designed an aesthetically-pleasing, small kill switch. Moving up a level of abstraction is only great when it works the way it's supposed to, and there should always be some sort of manual override for the rare, untested cases when it doesn't.

AngryParsley 17y ago
How often do you shift into neutral with an automatic transmission? A panicked driver probably wouldn't think to take unfamiliar actions. I agree that cars should have kill switches, but I forgot to mention a disadvantage of them: killing the engine kills power steering. If a driver accidentally hits the kill switch they could have trouble avoiding obstacles or making a turn. Motorcycles don't have power steering and riders are familiar with the kill switch.
- Frazzydee 17y ago
  You're right, and I guess this shows how driver education can save lives, especially now that drivers really don't need to understand how cars work (I sure don't). Years later, I still distinctly remember my instructor describing what you could do if your brakes fail. Are you sure that power steering requires the main engine, or does it use a different power source? Perhaps the kill switch could disable everything except power steering, unless it's held down? I've read that turning the car off using the key doesn't disable power steering unless it's turned all the way, so that would provide similar functionality.
  - AngryParsley 17y ago
    Usually steering is powered by a hydraulic pump driven by the engine's serpentine belt. Automatic transmissions have torque converters, which are one-way (the engine can turn the wheels, but the wheels can't turn the engine). As soon as the engine dies, the serpentine belt stops, hydraulic pressure drops, and steering gets hard. Some newer models (usually hybrids) power the hydraulic pump with an electric motor, and a few cars have purely electric power steering (just an electric motor, no hydraulics). In these types, a kill switch could be set up to stop only the engine, not the electrics. The battery could power the car long enough to stop safely.

AngryParsley 17y ago

How often do you shift into neutral with an automatic transmission? A panicked driver probably wouldn't think to take unfamiliar actions. I agree that cars should have kill switches, but I forgot to mention a disadvantage of them: killing the engine kills power steering. If a driver accidentally hits the kill switch they could have trouble avoiding obstacles or making a turn. Motorcycles don't have power steering and riders are familiar with the kill switch.

Frazzydee 17y ago
You're right, and I guess this shows how driver education can save lives, especially now that drivers really don't need to understand how cars work (I sure don't). Years later, I still distinctly remember my instructor describing what you could do if your brakes fail. Are you sure that power steering requires the main engine, or does it use a different power source? Perhaps the kill switch could disable everything except power steering, unless it's held down? I've read that turning the car off using the key doesn't disable power steering unless it's turned all the way, so that would provide similar functionality.
- AngryParsley 17y ago
  Usually steering is powered by a hydraulic pump driven by the engine's serpentine belt. Automatic transmissions have torque converters, which are one-way (the engine can turn the wheels, but the wheels can't turn the engine). As soon as the engine dies, the serpentine belt stops, hydraulic pressure drops, and steering gets hard. Some newer models (usually hybrids) power the hydraulic pump with an electric motor, and a few cars have purely electric power steering (just an electric motor, no hydraulics). In these types, a kill switch could be set up to stop only the engine, not the electrics. The battery could power the car long enough to stop safely.