High-Tech Driver Distraction

The New York Times has a good article today about driver distraction.  Excerpts:

Talking on cellphones and typing text messages while driving has already led to bans in many states. But now auto companies, likening their latest models to living rooms on the road, are turning cars into cocoons of communication systems and high-tech entertainment.

Some drivers are packing their car interiors with G.P.S. navigation screens, portable DVD players and even computer keyboards and printers.

State Senator Carl L. Marcellino of New York learned this firsthand while riding in a cab in Miami — the driver was watching a boxing match on a television mounted on the dashboard.

[...]

Motorists have always engaged in risky behavior, whether it is eating a sandwich, arguing with a spouse, applying makeup or studying a map while speeding down the interstate.

But safety experts say the influx of electronics is turning cars into sometimes chaotic — and distracting — moving family rooms.

[...]

Some safety advocates wonder whether studies on driver behavior will always be a step behind new technology. “It seems that society is moving so fast that the effects on safety just aren’t fully understood until problems arise,” said Sean Kane of Safety Research and Strategies, a consulting firm in Rehoboth, Mass.

Even drivers who are focused on the road can suffer from electronic overload — from passengers who, say, might be fighting over which DVD to watch.

[...]

The Japanese automaker Nissan unveiled a concept minivan, called the Forum, at last month’s Detroit auto show. Like most minivans, the Forum has an integrated media system that allows children and other passengers to watch movies, play games and hear their favorite songs.

The designers included a low-tech feature specifically for a driver distracted by the technology — a button that immediately shuts down all the electronics to silence unruly passengers and, presumably, make driving safer.

“I guess we were all saying, when is enough enough?” said Bruce Campbell, a vice president of Nissan Design America. “At some point, you need to say time out, no more distractions.”

Linnk: More High-Tech Invitations to Take Your Mind off Road.