After writing a previous blog, which summarized the report that car crashes have not decreased despite the ban against using cell phones while driving, I thought a little more about the subject as a whole. A few weeks ago, the New York Times also published an article in the technology section about the not-so-far-off future of cars (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/technology/07distracted.html?scp=5&sq=internet%20car&st=Search). While it may seem like enough to have accessorized cars with drop-down video screens and full-fledged GPS systems, the truth is that people always want more. And now we got it.
Yes, we now have internet in cars. Well who wouldn’t need to browse the web while driving? It is true that we have become a collective generation of internet-reliant people, but I think this goes to show that we are not just internet-reliant, we are internet-obsessed.
I will rewind here for a moment to explain the NYT article in more detail. The reasoning behind adding this somewhat new functionality to cars remains true to the theme of the century: making life easier, more efficient, and faster. With the net just a few inches away from our wheel, we can not only check the traffic, but also the weather, the nearest In-N-Out, our email, the latest YouTube video, etc. Basically anything and everything that you would be able to access from your computer at home, you can access from your dashboard. The goal is to make cars more like the interactive experience you get while on your computer.
Does anyone else see anything wrong with this? The mere passage of the ban on cell phone use while driving reinforces the premise that distractions cause accidents. With each second a driver has his or her attention on something else besides the road, the more likely he or she is to crash. This is not a linear relationship- it is exponential! So what justifies extending the computer experience to the car?
Well, some car companies, such as Ford, explain that the web cannot be accessed while the car is in drive, and is only a while-in-park luxury. Yet others, like Audi, do not place such access restrictions. Not surprisingly, this is causing quite a reaction from those safety-conscious groups and individuals. Car companies are responding to this uproar by telling us that such technological advances also allow for enhanced safety features.
I wonder, however, if the report I wrote about earlier will be used to bolster the argument that having internet access in cars does not need to be restricted. Just look at how the ban on cell phone use did nothing to reduce the number of car accidents, right? The numbers say so. Distractions are only distractions when the driver allows them to be. Ultimately, it is up to the driver to use these functions responsibly.
Drunk drivers, texting drivers, talking drivers, web-surfing drivers… I might just become a hermit.
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