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Conversely, driving ‘aids’ such as electronically controlled components, including ABS, power steering etc all contribute to the buffered distance between subject and environment. In a car engine, the development from the carburettor to fuel injection technology resulted in a reduction in lag between depression of the accelerator and the resulting forward acceleration (assuming a forward gear is selected). A similar experience occurs with the comparison of a H pattern gearbox to an electronically controlled sequential gearbox. In the former, the gear is engaged the instant the gearstick is positioned and the clutch dropped.
In the latter however, there may often be a lag that can last over half a second (in my experience). In the case of the Nissan Skyline R34 GTR, the driver can essentially drive as hard as possible, and the electronics sort out the traction control etc and keep the vehicle from crashing. The closer the kinematic subject and environmental aporia are, the less reaction time there is, and the less the perceptual buffer is.
A spectator’s response to a motor racing crash is entirely different to that of a cycling race crash. While the former results in the perception of twisted metal, the latter results in the perception of a sprawl of human limbs and bike frames. The perceived safety of vehicles could be said to be proportional to the positioning of the kinematic subject in relation to the vehicle. When the subject is inside the vehicle, they are perceptually shielded from the environment. When the subject is placed externally however, the likeliness of the two being separated in moments of high danger is increased a great much more.
