I read an article in today's Denver Post telling me that consumers are wanting, expecting and demanding more technology in their cars. We have all seen the way drivers slow traffic and are dangerous while using their cellphones. While there are now hands-free options in many vechicles, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2009, 5,474 people were killed in accidents reported to involve distracted driving.
Even the voice-operated actions such as answering a phone call can be detrimental to a driver's safety, warned Kevin Hobbs, VP of marketing and communications for AAA Colorado.
Kia has partnered with Microsoft on their new hands-free entertainment system. Mercedes offers SplitView, which lets the driver pursue navigational data while the passengers watch a DVD on the same monitor. ( Certainly there will be no temptation by the driver to watch the movie.) Ford offers Sync which includes the service of getting updates on your car's overall health. Future plans involve car-based computers reaching out to other vechicles on the road and presume to offer safer driving. There may be ways to post to Facebook and Twitter or text-message someone through voice activation.
The car manufacturers are looking into social media as the next logical step in Internet friendly car interiors. I just wonder, at what cost?
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