Spin Spin

Today’s drivers suffer without high-tech systems:

Now try it without ABS, EBD, ESP, EBA ...

Many drivers are blithely unaware of the hi-tech safety devices fitted to modern cars that silently keep them from danger. We put four volunteers in a 1990 car to see what happens when you take them away. James Luckhurst and Emma Smith of The Sunday Times stood well back

So you take a guy out of his fancy ABS-brake and power-steering car, and you see how well he performs on a 1990 beemer which doesn't have any of that crap. What do you get? Apparently, nothing short of 360-degree spins. Excellent!

But as cars get better at keeping out of trouble some experts worry drivers are getting worse — cocooned from danger, unaware how fast they are going or how slippery the road is, and less aware of other vehicles. The Sunday Times decided to put four motorists to the test to see how they would cope in a car with no “active” safety features at all.

And that's entertainment you don't get to see every day. woo! And yes, I'd like to take that road test too: my years in a 1970s Beetle should be good for something, these days!