Computers and Cars

(A picture of the Ford Sync for Telephone)

A few days ago, I was reading  this article by Maureen Dowd, and it started me thinking.
She states that “Studies show that drivers who talk on cellphones are four times more likely to be in a crash and drive just as erratically as people with an 0.08 percent blood-alcohol level.”
According to her article “Auto companies are busy creating new crack hits for our self-destructive cravings. Ford is developing a system that would let drivers use phones and music players and surf the Internet with voice commands and audible responses.
Sounds like a computerized death machine. But, as our dealers know, we’ll never disconnect.”
I may add that Ford is not the only automaker that is catering to our destructive behaviour.
You can read her updated column here , after Ford invited her to visit their compound and explained their reasons for implementing the "Ford Sync".
The present car I drive has “voice commands” for everything (telephone, radio, cd, iPod, Navigation, Update to your Twitter/Facebook pages to mention a few), and it also has this wonderful screen that tells you the results. I do not use it while I am driving as I find it distracting and taking my attention off the road. In my jurisdiction, if you get caught using this device (with your hands) while driving, the police will give you a ticket for $500, confiscate your vehicle and you get demerit points. Hence the automakers are pushing this “voice command”, encouraging the driver to use it instead of using your hands. However, the distraction is not using your hands or not, it is diverting your attention from the road to the conversation or looking at the screen in the car.
“Personal electronics have no business syncing with cars”

Ahh Sah
Walk Good