Column: Driving means freedom to me

When I bought my latest vehicle in March, it was a warm sunny day that made me think spring was right around the corner. I purchased a 2015 Ford Fusion from an area dealer, and my wife, Megan, and I immediately set off for a country ride with the sun roof open, and stopped for lunch down in one of the Amish areas of Ohio.

We put on more than 100 miles that first day in the new ride. And I couldn't help but think during the drive if this experience would have been possible if the U.S. already had evolved into a society where autonomous vehicles were the norm, rather than the subject of intense talk and research and development projects.

For me, the bottom line is I like to drive. Don't get me wrong. I'm not necessarily a "car guy." Our rides are what you'd call sensible (we also have a Ford Escape). I haven't yet convinced my wife that we really need to buy me a Mustang convertible

I like the freedom that goes with knowing our vehicles are there for us when we need them. It's not uncommon for us to take a 40-50 mile trip up to one of the beaches along Lake Erie. If the day is nice, that means taking the back roads, enjoying the rural scenery.

We have taken a summer trip to Cape Cod the last several years, driving all but the first year. My wife and I enjoy the journey, and I get a kick out of driving through some of the old rubber towns of New England.

Would it be nice to just sit back and enjoy the ride, with both of us being passengers? Sure. But I'm not sure I could see my wife comfortably riding in an autonomous vehicle through some of the mountainous terrain, not to mention some of the nasty storms that can pop up out of nowhere and make the trip a wheel-gripping experience.

I do like some of the technology that is starting to make its way into vehicles, such as the accident avoidance mechanisms I first was exposed to during a trip to Germany some years back where Continental began touting the advances.

And while electric and autonomous vehicles are all the talk now, these momentous shifts clearly are a long way off. Many hurdles still need to be crossed, and a huge chunk of our economy is tied to the automotive business.

Maybe by the time this happens, I'll be the age where I'm happy to let somebody else—or in this case nobody else—take the wheel.

Meyer is editor of Rubber & Plastics News. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @bmeyerRPN.