Web-Connected Cars Could Be The Death Of Us Chrysler's new service sparks safety concerns among drivers Tipped by Romney2012 
Tomorrow marks the day that Chrysler is about to begin offering in-car Wi-Fi and people are expressing strong concerns about what this means for safety on the road. While Chrysler says turning your car into a Wi-Fi hot spot is really just meant as an extra form of entertainment for kids in the back seat, some believe that drivers won’t be able to resist the temptation to surf the web while they’re supposed to be paying attention to the road in front of them. The urge to see what others in the car are doing on their computers just may be too strong. And as we all know because of our experience with cell phones on the road, this kind of distraction leads to accidents which are only slightly mitigated by the laws that arise to deal with them. These safety concerns are a big reason that carputers were delayed in becoming a widespread option here in the United States but in-car web surfing has made it to the market so it now becomes a question of how to encourage safe driving habits among those using the service.
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 | | Litigation Will End It This is one of those product "enhancements" that'll be pulled from the market after a wave of lawsuits from victims who were injured or died at the hands of a surfing driver.
Well, maybe. It isn't any worse now than iPhones or Blackberries, so I'm beginning to believe the threat can't be much worse. | |
|  |  tp0dyabbazooiePremium
join:2001-02-13
Carnegie, PA
kudos:2
1 edit | Re: Litigation Will End It just another chapter of survival of the fittest. if you're stupid enough to do it, then u get what you deserve. not mentioning the innocent bystander tho.. hm | |
| | |  tomkbPremium
join:2000-11-15
Tampa, FL
kudos:5 | Re: Litigation Will End It I was going to say the same thing, thin out the heard a bit. | |
| | | |  isaax
join:2007-12-31
philippines | Re: Litigation Will End It ...Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil...
AMEN. 
--
"It is not who I am underneath, but what I do that #defines me..." | |
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| | | | As you say, though, the people who die frequently aren't the ones who engaged in the dangerous behavior, much like drunk driving.
This is one of those behaviors that often imposes costs on other innocent people. | |
| | | |  james
join:2001-02-26
CWCville USA | Re: Litigation Will End It I was going to say the same thing.
I do wonder which is more distracting to drivers on long trips though, internet access/movies for the kids, or kids screaming and fighting in the back. Perhaps there is some safety benefit to be had, we just need to ensure the driver isnt the one using the internet. | |
| | | | | | | Re: Litigation Will End It said by james:I was going to say the same thing. I do wonder which is more distracting to drivers on long trips though, internet access/movies for the kids, or kids screaming and fighting in the back. Ducttape fixes everything. | |
| | | | |  DataDocMy avatar looks like me, if I was 2D.Premium
join:2000-05-14
Greenville, NC
 ·Suddenlink
| Don't make me stop this car! said by james:... kids screaming and fighting in the back. ... My father had a cure for this, and it wasn't movies. | |
| | | | | | james
join:2001-02-26
CWCville USA | Re: Don't make me stop this car! said by DataDoc:said by james:... kids screaming and fighting in the back. ... My father had a cure for this, and it wasn't movies. Mine too, it involved turning around and yelling at us while the car wildly weaved back and forth as violently as possible. Scared the CRAP outta us, but it's rather dangerous. | |
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|  JSYPremium
join:2000-04-05
Elmhurst, NY | The threat is worse because it's easier to access on the car as opposed to whipping out your phone. The other thing is the preceived notion that since it's part of your car - it must be okay, otherwise they wouldn't have put it there. Hey, I'm all for the "thinning of the herd" bit but please, who really cares about those people - it's the people that they injure and take with them while doing this stuff. | |
| | | fiberguyMy views are my own.Premium
join:2005-05-20
kudos:3 | Re: Litigation Will End It Thin yourself first.. you don't even know what you're talking about and you're going on about it. It's a wifi hotspot in the vehicle so you can use other devices. There is not browser or any chat screen on the dash. | |
| | | | | | Re: Litigation Will End It said by fiberguy:Thin yourself first.. you don't even know what you're talking about and you're going on about it. It's a wifi hotspot in the vehicle so you can use other devices. There is not browser or any chat screen on the dash. How witty you are. | |
| | | | | fiberguyMy views are my own.Premium
join:2005-05-20
kudos:3 | Re: Litigation Will End It stop the 420, would you? | |
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|  r81984Fair and BalancedPremium
join:2001-11-14
Katy, TX | YAWN!!!!!
This is a nonissue. Stupid people driving around with Iphones is much much worse.
--
»www.ryanoneill.us | |
|
approval from:
xj31
|  Wi-Fi in-car Already
It is my opinion this is a winning product when it is used with respect for the purpose in which it is designed.
Let me decide!!! NOT BIG BROTHER | |
| | | | Re: Wi-Fi in-car Already quote:
Let me decide!!!
That's great until you've got your head up your ass while driving and plow into someone innocently stopped at a light. I doubt the examples you mentioned are as distracting as say, surfing porn while driving. | |
| | | | | Re: Wi-Fi in-car Already said by satellite68: quote:
Let me decide!!!
That's great until you've got your head up your ass while driving and plow into someone innocently stopped at a light. I doubt the examples you mentioned are as distracting as say, surfing porn while driving. So ban 'driving while distracted' or 'reckless driving'.
Banning a technology because it could be used to perform an activity you do not wish people to engage in is like banning high speed internet to prevent software piracy. Or to put it into your 'life and death' scenarios, banning wifi because you could use it to hack someone's pacemaker.
There are about 40 things on my desk that could be used to cause harm to another person if they are used improperly.
Having displays that lock when the car is not in Park is more than sufficient to counteract any of your scenarios without trying to preemptively counter undesireable behavior. | |
| | | | | | Re: Wi-Fi in-car Already said by thevorpal:said by satellite68: quote:
Let me decide!!!
That's great until you've got your head up your ass while driving and plow into someone innocently stopped at a light. I doubt the examples you mentioned are as distracting as say, surfing porn while driving. So ban 'driving while distracted' or 'reckless driving'. Driving while distracted is already an offense worthy of being pulled over. However, the officer doesn't have sufficient authority to do anything that would dissuade future infractions.
I say...do one of two things. One, disable the web browsing in the front seat while the car is in motion. or two, make it so that if you're caught doing it on the road, the cops can impound your car.
Personally I prefer the latter. No need for these soccer moms in Escalades to have their kids browsing porn in the back seat either. | |
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| Reviews:
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| I would be glad for you, or anyone else to decide, if I had confidence in their ability to judge correct usage. It only takes a few miles of driving to see all the idiots talking on their cell phones and driving 20 under the speed limit in the high speed lane and/or changing lanes without looking.
I would truly love to shove some driver's cell phone where the sun doesn't shine and see if they can carry on a conversation. I find it really interesting that the first thing some people do after getting in their car is pull out the phone as they are trying to back out of the parking space. Why can't they make the call before moving the car? | |
| | | | xj31
join:2005-09-25
Lake Villa, IL | said by Control :
Basically in car wifi already exists... It is my opinion this is a winning product when it is used with respect for the purpose in which it is designed.
Let me decide!!! NOT BIG BROTHER
Exactly | |
| | patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY
kudos:1 | said by Control :
As usual it is just up to the consumer not to abuse the availability of the device. The TVs, Cell Phones, I-Pods, Radios, CD Players, 8-Tracks, makeup, loud children and the nagging significant other can be a distraction as well.... But we have not outlawed them being in the vehicles.
We can. The Driver seat will now be in a separate compartment. The glass and doors will be a through Faraday cage, so drivers will have no service unless they open the door. Open a window will only work with the engine off. Engine won't turn on with an open window. Visual isolation from the passenger cabin should also be considered. Any modifications of these safety mechanisms and no inspection sticker for you. | |
|
Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| One more thing to worry about Now I have to be on the lookout for Chrysler products because the driver may surfing porn why doing 70 on the freeway. Hopefully it will thin the herd, without too much damage to the innocent bystanders. I have seen a bunch of stupid things marketed, but this takes the cake for corporate marketing stupidity. | |
|  dadkinsCan you do Blu?Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA
kudos:18 | Quit whining! Got Cell?
Got Blackberry?
Does it say there is a laptop built into the dash? No!
You would still need the device, one that many people already have and use anyways.
I know a couple!
You all probably know a couple too. Maybe even done it youselves.
This just makes it easier for the kids and the passengers.
Any driver that isn't already texting on the Blackberry isn't going to bust out the Dell and start surfing for porn at 55 MPH.
--
Think outside the Fox... Opera | |
| |  JigsawStardust We ArePremium
join:2000-10-21
Cleveland, OH | Re: Quit whining! said by dadkins:Any driver that isn't already texting on the Blackberry isn't going to bust out the Dell and start surfing for porn at 55 MPH. Dude that is not the stick shift Bro......... 
--
"It's called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it."-George Carlin
| |
| |  OctaveanPremium,MVM
join:2001-03-31
New York, NY
kudos:1 | dadkins makes a good point. in-car Wi-Fi would likely not even be accessible to the driver any more then a built in LCD / DVD player in the back of the driver’s and front passenger’s head rest would be. Any other implementation would be questionable.
A GPS would probably more distracting. | |
| |  cacrollEventually, Prozac becomes normalPremium
join:2002-07-25
Martinez, CA | said by dadkins:Does it say there is a laptop built into the dash? No! You would still need the device, one that many people already have and use anyways.
With Internet connectivity, and the Control / Navigational panel that's common on many autos now, it won't be long before the two get connected. And it will be conveniently located for the "driver" to use.
If not a dealer accessory, it'll be an after market install.
--
Cheers,
Chuck
MS-MVP 2005-2008 [Windows - Desktop Experience]
Nitecruzr Dot Net | |
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| automobile driving is the problem, not the Tech I think this is just another notch in the move in our society away from a driver-automobile society. Having the ability to be plugged into the virtual network world, a tech from the 90's, while moving around in a American 1930's technology is clearly a system that cannot work. You *can* surf the new web, but only while your sitting on a bus, a passenger in a co-workers car in a carpool, or just walking to work in a job that is close to you.
This tech just demonstrates how dangerous and wasteful single-driver motor vehicle operation is, and we in the Western world should keep moving to de-emphasize its importance in our society, not make it stronger. Therefore, people can chat on the cell phone, or web surf on the bus, or bicycling (!!!) to work, and not mortally endangering others while doing this operating a 3000 lbs vehicle.
-- Chex
--
Sung to the old New England Telephone Ad Jingle: " We're the only one New Eng-Lund, Hell-Ri-zon Tele-phonnnnne! " | |
| |  DownTheShoreTag, you're itPremium
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ
kudos:11 | Re: automobile driving is the problem, not the Tech The only problem is, the buses don't go where I need to go, can't afford to take taxis everywhere, not working so no carpool, and health reasons prevent me from walking far. Sorry, but for too many of us, The Car = Freedom.
I've noticed one interesting side effect of kids watching DVD's or being plugged into iPods in the back seat - they don't know the routes to regular destinations and have no way of judging time to arrival because they no longer pay attention to the roadside scenery. Back in the day when all you could do was look out the window while your parents drove, you noticed landmarks and interesting bits and developed a time sense for the trip.
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Patriotism is not waving a flag, it is living the ideals | |
| | |  roc5955Premium
join:2005-11-26
Rosendale, NY | Re: automobile driving is the problem, not the Tech said by DownTheShore:The only problem is, the buses don't go where I need to go, can't afford to take taxis everywhere, not working so no carpool, and health reasons prevent me from walking far. Sorry, but for too many of us, The Car = Freedom. How about one of those "runabouts?" Surely there has to be some way for you to get around. Maybe the answer for you is to move to a more urban setting, where public transportation is in more locations. 100 years ago, there was urban and suburban transportation everywhere. They were called trolleys.
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"Understanding is a three-edged sword." | |
| | | | DownTheShoreTag, you're itPremium
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ
kudos:11 | Re: automobile driving is the problem, not the Tech I live in the NY metro area - a "runabout" will probably get me killed by an 18-wheeler. 
The problem is, is that when public transportation was created in this area, the majority of the routes go to and from the major cities. If you don't work in one of those cities, as most of us don't, the train, for example, doesn't do you that much good. If I want to go to NYC - no problem. If I want to go to Atlantic City, however, I've got to take a train west to the other side of the state to Trenton, switch to another train and go south to Camden, then switch to a third train and go east back across the whole state to finally get to Atlantic City. Forget about any place south of there.
Most bus routes outside the northeastern counties and the Trenton/Camden area are just expresses to either NYC or Philly. Very few buses actually make stops anywhere near the corporate campuses that are everywhere in this state.
When I was a kid, the train used to make a stop at the large Merck plant in Rahway NJ, and a couple other major businesses on the way to the terminus in NYC. Those stops were eliminated as a cost cutting measure years ago, and have never been reinstated.
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Patriotism is not waving a flag, it is living the ideals | |
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| | | said by chex383:This tech just demonstrates how dangerous and wasteful single-driver motor vehicle operation is, and we in the Western world should keep moving to de-emphasize its importance in our society, not make it stronger. Therefore, people can chat on the cell phone, or web surf on the bus, or bicycling (!!!) to work, and not mortally endangering others while doing this operating a 3000 lbs vehicle. -- Chex Oh please....go back to the EU. Oh wait, QC - you're already there.
Try riding a bus, car pooling or bicycling in vast tracts of the US -or- in the MAJORITY of your own country (yes, QC is part of Canada even though most of you won't admit it).
Now tell me I should live somewhere I *can* take advantage of these services and your Socialist commentary will be complete
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3500/512 5.7 GHz Motorola Canopy Wireless; FoxValley.net
"Peace through superior firepower" | |
| | | Reviews:
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| Re: automobile driving is the problem, not the Tech Actually, I should have a disclaimer to say that I am a American who just moved to Quebec 6 months ago. Montreal is my dream city, and I finally got to move here.
I have been living in Boston for 5+ years without a car, using bicycle, walking, or public trans. ( which in Boston is fairly painful ). It *is* possible to do, in a handful of places in the USA. I rent cars or do car-sharing when I need a car short or long term.
Actually, Canada, and especially Quebec are quite good at public transportation in a lot of cities and towns here, much better than the USA, due to much higher taxes. I agree that even here it is painful to get around if your not in a city.
Yah yah, you can make fun of me for my socialist comments, but I have a richer and more rewarding way of life here. I just came back from a 25 Kilometer bicycle ride around the west side of Montreal, all on bicycle paths and lanes.
Quebec has bicycle paths all over the province, not just in the cities, too. As far as living in a car-free community, I think you would have to move to one, as I did. The idea of this coming to most Middle American communities is going to take forever, if ever.
said by jay_rm:Oh please....go back to the EU. Oh wait, QC - you're already there. Try riding a bus, car pooling or bicycling in vast tracts of the US -or- in the MAJORITY of your own country (yes, QC is part of Canada even though most of you won't admit it). Now tell me I should live somewhere I *can* take advantage of these services and your Socialist commentary will be complete >> Sorry, but for too many of us, The Car = Freedom.
Hah! I had to just laugh at this ironic statement. The car actually bounds you in ways you cannot imagine. Development patterns in north America in the past 50 years means that you have to have a car to get to various places you would want to go, work, shopping, friends and family. We *used* to build cities and towns in the country that were more dense and walkable, before WWII, but with the 50's everything changed, and we are at the mercy of the automobile. Don't forget that government continues to tax and regulate auto's more and more, which in effect, regulates this 'freedom' you speak of. Drinking and Driving programs end up being prohibition, because how else can you get from a bar or restaurant to home w/o driving??
Again, the automobile is the white-elephant in the room that no-one wants to talk about. We have all these problems with actions people do while driving; if people just didn't drive, those problems would all disappear. Of course we cannot erase driving entirely from our society, but we can make it a lot less important, and have a lot more 'Freedom' as you speak of in many different ways.
Just a different perspective to think about.
-- Chex
--
Sung to the old New England Telephone Ad Jingle: " We're the only one New Eng-Lund, Hell-Ri-zon Tele-phonnnnne! " | |
| | | | DownTheShoreTag, you're itPremium
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ
kudos:11 | Re: automobile driving is the problem, not the Tech said by chex383:>> Sorry, but for too many of us, The Car = Freedom. Hah! I had to just laugh at this ironic statement. The car actually bounds you in ways you cannot imagine. Development patterns in north America in the past 50 years means that you have to have a car to get to various places you would want to go, work, shopping, friends and family. We *used* to build cities and towns in the country that were more dense and walkable, before WWII, but with the 50's everything changed, and we are at the mercy of the automobile. Don't forget that government continues to tax and regulate auto's more and more, which in effect, regulates this 'freedom' you speak of. Drinking and Driving programs end up being prohibition, because how else can you get from a bar or restaurant to home w/o driving?? Again, the automobile is the white-elephant in the room that no-one wants to talk about. We have all these problems with actions people do while driving; if people just didn't drive, those problems would all disappear. Of course we cannot erase driving entirely from our society, but we can make it a lot less important, and have a lot more 'Freedom' as you speak of in many different ways. Just a different perspective to think about. -- Chex Of course the car binds us - I think that the majority of us realize that, especially with the distances we have to drive in the US. But we have to deal with the situation as it is now, not how it was prior to WWII.
It would be nice to have everyone located in a lovely town with sufficient public transportation, but this country had two big baby booms after each of the World Wars, plus ongoing immigration and there simply wasn't anymore room in most of the older established cities to hold that population, like they had in the past. Expansion into suburbs was inevitable, what with cheap gasoline and a strong economy that made the purchase of new cars easy (remember, in the mid-60's you could buy a new car for under $2K). Remember, too, that city life only holds appeal for a percentage of the population. Not every one wants to live in apartment buildings or visit a park just to see a tree. Remember also the levels of pollution that were present back then, before all of our heavy industries went overseas. Quality of life then in the cities was not what it is now, after years of various environmental laws.
I've never lived in a place where public transportation is a viable alternative to get to other than a single location. When I was in college, I had to get home one afternoon to take care of something. I attended school close to home and could drive to the college in about 15-20 minutes at that time. In this instance, I had to take public transportation - a bus - and it took me over an hour to get home. With realities like that, public transportation is not viable.
I don't have to worry about getting home from a bar or a restaurant when I'm there, because I don't drink if I'm going to drive. It's a rule I find easy to live with. 
As to the injuries and deaths that occur because of the automobile, those things would probably occur in another form in the public transporation setting - drunk people falling onto the third rail, people getting harassed or robbed or hurt in crowded trains, people getting hit by trains as they cross railroad tracks, increased bus accidents, etc. Removal of the car is not a panacea.
Then there's also the fact that the majority of us no longer live in an extended or even a nuclear family setting any more. As we age, there is no one to take us wherever we need to go - we have to get there on our own. The ability to drive a car is freedom - it means you can go to whatever store you want to, not just the Shop-Rite that's on the senior bus loop. It means that you can go visit friends and relatives at will. It means that you can explore the country. It means that you can make a doctor's appointment at your convenience, not someone else's. Ask anyone who's had to give up their driver's license due to disability or age, and you'll find how restricted their lives have become because of that.
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Patriotism is not waving a flag, it is living the ideals | |
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| | | In that case, people driving cars are only dangerous to others driving cars (busses are fairly immune to cars and even the most distracted drivers rarely mount the sidewalk).
So it is only evil web-surfing drivers that are at risk to other evil web-surfing environment polluting drivers.
So let it be, and you will have your incentive to avoid single-passenger driving. | |
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| | This is not the disaster people are suggesting There's reasonable alternatives, as a dangerous driver will be noticeable whether he's distracted by WiFi, the person speeding past him and giving him the finger, or watching the accident on the side of the road. | |
|
4 edits | Why object to something you do not understand? Internet information can be safely transmitted to the driver, all that is needed is a carpc with the proper software running on it. The system I use requires less driver distraction than a typical CD player or FM radio.
Email is accessed and then "read" to me without any driver interaction required. That same software reads real-time traffic information and weather reports to me as I drive.
I can query internet infomation using simple voice commands, and any results are read back to me. The software, AIVMS, is actually an artificial intelligence, capable of doing much more than just internet information retrival. AI technology will likely be the wave of the future as far as in-vehicle information access is concerned. Ford's SYNC system is another example of how software can improve interaction with entertainment systems control and actually enhance driving safety. | |
| | |  Web Surfing! What you use it for...
Stop finding any reason to black-ball a product for purposes in which a person "might" use the product. Maybe they will block that type of content all-together. That is not for me to say... The Chrysler company controls the product and what content they will make available I assume.
Some of the internet users only use it for the benefit of information and the better quality of life. People that choose to use the internet for questionable content will have to answer to a higher power than us.
Again, LET ME DECIDE... | |
| |  a333A hot cup of integrals please
join:2007-06-12
Rego Park, NY
 ·Cingular Wireless
1 edit | Re: Web Surfing! What you use it for... First off- The porn reference is a joke/stereotype. No need to get our panties in a bunch here over something as small as THAT...
Next- If you want emergency services, I have an idea, how about using a CELL PHONE? They're in almost everyone's pockets, and will work in the same, if not more, places than this. Also, pretty much every cell phone manufactured these days can AT LEAST triangulate its position based on cell tower signals. Some also supplement that with GPS. We don't need some kind of uber-dangerous driver distraction to do that now.
Third- What's the 'content' you're talking about? They're providing internet access... if they actually block certain content, so much more of a reason not to get the service.
Further:
"Some of the internet users only use it for the benefit of information and the better quality of life. People that choose to use the internet for questionable content will have to answer to a higher power than us."
What higher power? I though you didn't want gov't involvement? Ding ding!! Logical fallacy...
If I want to watch pr0n, SO BE IT... as you so helpfully said, the last thing we need here is big brother watching. If you want censorship, might as well head over to Pyongyang and suck up to Kim Jong Il
You clearly have no clue as to what this service is about....
You say it's about time for gov't to stop regulating everything... guess what? It's about time that people like you actually concentrate on the ROAD, and quit texting, talking on the cell phone, watching PORN, or whatever you do these days.... | |
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| It makes me wonder how we got along without all of this technology and survived this far. My motorcycle is a kick-start-only 1971 Harley Davidson XLCH, and it starts and runs like new. It has no tubeless tires, no radio, no heated handgrips or seat, no turn signals, and no mufflers. It is faster than most any car on the road today but it was built 37 years ago. Best of all, it's fun to ride!
Creating more distractions for drivers is a big mistake and it will come and kick Chrysler in the butt soon. There used to be a law in my state that no TV monitors were allowed in the front of a moving vehicle and any car with a TV had it in the rear. Bad drivers have enough trouble while driving, drinking coffee, talking on a cell phone, looking at their GPS, changing CDs, playing with their ipods, yelling at the kids, and putting on makeup without the added distraction of a wi-fi connection.
Bad idea Chrysler. 
--
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اسامة بن حسين 2008
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| TheMGPremium
join:2007-09-04
Canada
kudos:1 | Totally agree with it being an extra safety concern. After having been rear-ended by an inattentive driver at a red light just yesterday, I totally agree: we don't need more possible distractions for drivers. | |
| EPS
join:2008-02-13
Hingham, MA | Hm But doesn't this safety concern already exist? I mean, isn't this basically just an EV-DO wireless router that runs off of the car's power?
In any case, no one's buying Chryslers anymore, so there's not much to worry about  | |
| |
4 edits | Re: Hm Yep, and a lot of us are using those wireless EVDO routers, the D-Link DIR-451 is quite popular and you can get one for less than $200. They work with just about any existing EVDO cell phone plan, so your not locked into Chyslers extremelly expensive offering, and your not paying an extra payment every month just for your car to have broadband internet access. Like I said, accessing Internet information is NOT a safety issue if you are using the proper software.
I can assure you that any safety concern has nothing to do with in-vehicle Internet access itself; My CarPC's motorized widescreen VGA LCD touchscreen monitor deploys from my dash automatically, and I could watch porn dvd's on it (without ANY internet access) all day long while I drive if I really wanted to.
Na Na NaNaNa | |
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| | War Driving This will give a whole new meaning to the term. | |
| | | What if... the features were only enabled if the vehicle was in Park? (all wifi-surfing are disabled in any other mode (D, R, N, L1, L2).
Manual transmissions would require neutral and e-brake.
Circumventing these would be federal offense. | |
|  DavePR
join:2008-06-04
Canyon Country, CA | More RF inside a steel cage? Not a terribly good idea. It may be hazardous to your eyeballs.
I do not require constant connectivity to "the grid". In fact, it's quite liberating to be "out of range" sometimes. | |
| | | wifi or not some drivers are just stupid Absolutely pointless debate. I see no one talking about making rear view mirrors not abole to be focused on the drivers face so that she can apply her makeup at 65 on the freeway. Nor do i see calls to ban Thickburgers from the cabs of F150's Rams and Siverado's. There are lots of stupid things people do while driving that fall under "Careless and Imprudent driving" which laws already exist for.Why are we debating here? If someone isnt paying sufficient attention to driving for *any* reason they can be stopped and ticketed. | |
| | | | Re: wifi or not some drivers are just stupid But the question is whether it is prudent for automotive manufacturers to include add ons that facilitate inattentiveness. If chrysler, for example, starting including a vanity, makeup tray and kit in the dashboard people would probably be critical. Of course chrysler can't control what people install after they buy or what stupid things they do in their cars, but chrysler can refrain from reinforcing stupid behavior with their choices of added features. | |
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4 edits | Re: wifi or not some drivers are just stupid And when cell phones were new technology, the automobile manufacturers offered built-in cell phone options in their cars.
So what's worse, passengers with Internet capability or a driver on a cell phone? You're just wasting your breath, because the auto industry will do as they please in order to increase their profits. Do you really think that Chrysler will be the only automaker to do something like this?
The fact is, auto manufacturers are quite a bit behind the aftermarket enthusiasts as far as IT in a car is concerned. I expect that they will soon offer CarPC's as an option, as that is the next logical step. | |
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