But Will It Come if You Yell ‘Herbie’?

Remember that Disney film “The Love Bug,” where a Volkswagen Beetle with a brain takes its driver on a series of hair-raising rides?

Fantasy? Not any more. A Dutch scientific organization has come up with a computer program that could give a car a mind of its own, able to correct bad driving habits and keep you running on course.

It gently but insistently lifts the accelerator if you are going too fast or are tailgating the car in front.

When you’re tired and drift off-course, a “smart” steering wheel puts you back on the straight and narrow.

And the cost? Project leader Wiel Janssen reckons a system for the average car will cost a modest $300 to $600.

The Intelligent Driver System has been developed in the last three years by Renault, BMW, Philips and the Dutch research organization TNO. The idea, says Janssen, is not to make drivers careless or tell them what to do but merely help them drive more safely on congested roads.