[bob1029]

> With ABS and ESC, most cars on the road today have a computer involved in the braking system. It seems pretty safe.

Absolutely. These systems have very simple feedback loops and controller algorithms. Determining that you lost traction is a simple problem to solve. Determining that a dangerous obstruction is in front of your vehicle is not.

ABS/ESC also tend to have a more limited impact on the vehicle, even if they do malfunction. You can typically disable these pretty easily (pull fuse/drive system configure).

[outworlder]

But you did say this:

> Putting a computer between my foot/hands and the physics unfolding in front of me is a total non-starter.

Which ABS does, there's literally a computer in between your inputs and the 'physics'. So which is it? There was a time when ABS was not considered a simple problem. They had to invent it for the Concorde.

> You can typically disable these pretty easily (pull fuse/drive system configure).

If they did catastrophically malfunction, you wouldn't have time to pull fuses.

[bob1029]

Allow me to be more precise:

I do not want to operate a vehicle wherein the exclusive means of conveying my control inputs to the final destinations is via a computer. Some limited augmentations to existing direct inputs are acceptable in my view.

[Prcmaker]

I've got to agree with this. While I am a fan of some of the assistances that come with vehicles, I am not a fan of the level of assistance some vehicles build in. I've lost power steering and powered brake assistance before (separate occasions), on different vehicles and while technically you still have steering or brakes (not drive by wire) , the loss of mechanical advantage is enough to mean you are effectively a passenger. While modern reliability has reduced the occurrence, the impact when that failure occurrs has only gotten worse.

[mcguire]

Is the phrase you are looking for "drive by wire"?