Stay Alive. Don't Use A Smart Car and Drive

Almost everywhere that you go, you are likely to see a campaign sign or bumper sticker that says "Stay Alive. Don't Text and Drive." Even when I took my driver's permit test last summer, one of the questions on the test was whether texting while driving is safe. The obvious answer is "no," yet there are a lot of people on the road who don't quite understand this concept. While not texting during driving is an important message, it's interesting to think that texting may be more dangerous on the road than any other distraction...Or is it?

In a recent New York Times article, columnist Maureen Dowd discusses how automobiles are now "smart cars" that possess the capability to read your text messages to you, manage and play your iPod, adhere to your emotional needs (i.e. you're having a bad day, so your car will cheer you up through vibrating seats or heated steering wheel), and even manage your email for you. All of this while you're driving! Is this safe? Perhaps the larger question is whether or not it's rational to countenance any distraction whatsoever. What happened to simply listening to the radio or having a conversation with yourself as you drive? Do our lives really demand that we be constantly connected? If so, where do we draw the line?

No research is available at the present time to offer a reference to the affect that these smart cars are causing on drivers, but there are many potential dangers to such technology. Sue Cishke, a Ford executive, argues:

Given that Americans are addicted to Web access and tech toys...It will never work to simply ban them. So we’ve got to figure out how we make people safer, and the more people can just talk to their car like they’re talking to a passenger, the more useful it would be.

Perhaps Ms. Cishke has a point. Maybe the automobile industry should serve consumers who demand smart cars. Or maybe the automobile industry should serve consumers with the need for boundaries regarding automobiles and technology that provide constant connectivity. Ultimately, safety is important, and it's wonderful to have automobile technology with vehicles that strive to protect and serve the driver. Still, there comes a point when too many bells and whistles pose a threat to overall security because of the fact that these same bells and whistles provide the most dangerous thing on the road: distraction.

Driven to Distraction

I work for an organization called Friday Night Live in Sacramento County. Friday Night Live (FNL) focuses on preventing drinking and distracted driving and promotes a positive place for middle school and high school students to make healthy decisions. One thing that I have learned while working for FNL is some of the startling statistics related to the dangers of distracted driving. Most aspects of distracted driving are related to abuse of technology such as fiddling with GPS devices, changing songs on an Ipod, texting, and talking on the phone while driving a vehicle. Despite recent legislation in the state of California making texting and talking on the phone illegal, many Californians take the risks and do it anyway. Focusing on these technologies takes a driver’s focus away from the road and makes them more likely to get into a crash. Most people say that it is obvious that texting while driving is dangerous and distracts drivers from the road, and yet most also admit to having done it. The dangers of distracted driving are so astonishing, that it appalls me to read news articles that companies are creating new technologies for drivers on the road.

The New York Times article “Despite Risks, Internet Creeps Onto Car Dashboards” published in January 2010 discusses companies like Intel and Google sharing their ambitions at the Consumer Electronics Show to shift their attention “from the desktop to the dashboard.” As if cell phone communications were not enough, now consumers will have the option to scour the internet while they drive. Despite efforts of safety advocates and lawmakers, these companies are once again putting profit over safety. The companies have stated that when the “Audi System” turns on, a warning message will read, “Please only use the online services when traffic conditions allow you to do so safely.” But honestly, do they really expect this to deter consumers from using their products when the conditions are not safe? In my opinion, we should not trust consumers with this option when it could jeopardize the lives of others on the road. Checking the weather or sending an e-mail should not be prioritized above the safety and well being of drivers and passengers on the road.

Related material to this post can be found here.