The desire to stay connected with family, friends and information in general has created more and more distractions on the road. So far, the desire to stay connected has created texting and driving and the use of hand-held cell phones while on the road. With the development and popular use of smartphones, a new phenomenon has hit the roads, webbing and driving. The growth of surfing the internet while behind the wheel has occurred despite widespread education campaigns that warn the public about the dangers of distracted driving.
In response, car manufacturers have started to develop hands-free technology that aims to take away the distraction of playing with a cell phone while in the driver's seat. The goal is to create a healthy balance between consumers' desire to use technology while in the car and consumers' focus on the road. Practically all car manufacturers offer hands-free technology in-vehicle today and the technology will grow from answering a call hands-free to responding to e-mails with voice command. An example of a new generation in-vehicle communications system is being released by General Motors.
The new in-vehicle communications system offered by GM allows users to send and receive texts and make Facebook updates while driving via an OnStar app. An analyst at Edmunds.com believes that voice command technology will soon read drivers' emails and allow drivers' to dictate emails or texts. Car manufacturers not only believe that young drivers will be interested in the technology but that older drivers who use their vehicles as offices will also be inclined.
One group that is not excited about the new technology is the National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB is the federal agency responsible for auto safety. The agency is not convinced hands-free technology will stop communications related distracted driving car accidents. A representative from the agency says that hands-free technology may help the physical aspect of distracted driving, but it is not clear whether hands-free devices will eliminate the cognitive distraction of being on the phone while on the road.
Source: News4Jax.com, "Cars help more devices go hands-free," 2/28/11