Excerpt:
"First came ASS – the acronym that stands for Automatic Stop/Start, the system that automatically shuts off the vehicle’s engine every time the vehicle stops moving, then automatically restarts it when the driver lifts his foot off the brake.

At first – when ASS began to mysteriously appear in new vehicles as a standard feature that no one asked for about a decade ago – it was easy enough to turn ASS off. There was usually a button on the dash or somewhere on the center console. You often had to turn ASS off at the start of every drive in order to stop ASS from shutting off the engine every time the vehicle stopped moving – but at least you could turn ASS off.

Then it got harder to find the off button because there no longer was one. Instead, you had to figure out where “off” was buried within the various menus displayed on the LCD screen. These latter became unavoidable in a new vehicle about five years ago. No more just getting in and pushing the off button; it was necessary to go through a process of rigmarole to turn ASS off.

It was easier to just leave it on.

Just what they wanted. Just what was originally intended. The vehicle manufacturers knew few – if any – of their customers wanted ASS. That’s why ASS was never an option. It has always been a standard feature. But when a standard feature is unwanted, it’s generally wise for the seller to make it possible to turn it off. Hence the button – for awhile.

Now the physical button is gone – and the option to turn ASS off – is disappearing."