The Problem
How many times has it happened – you're driving in your lane, watching the road, obeying the speed limit (of course), when suddenly the car in the next lane dashes in front of you to make a last-minute turn or exit. As you slam on the brakes, you notice the driver has that tell-tale hand glued to the side of their head – couldn't that call have waited five minutes?
But it doesn't end there; talking on a cell while driving is old hat these days for our increasingly multitasking-addicted society. How about the guy in front of you driving with his knees while sending a text message on the freeway? Or maybe you've seen the woman with the laptop perched on the steering wheel during rush hour traffic? The trucker watching a DVD at 65 mph?
With the news that Wi-Fi connectivity is coming to 2009 Chrysler models, we can all expect even more lapses in common sense when it comes to multitasking on the road. So what's to be done to protect us from ourselves?
The Government Solution:
Many state and local governments have passed laws requiring the use of hands-free devices while driving.
The Results
Although an unknown number of accidents have likely been avoided, a higher number of people can now be seen pulling over on the side of the freeway to take calls, resulting in reckless driving citations. The penalties for talking on cells in most states can be costly, at around a hundred bucks for the citation, but only Utah assesses points against your license, and most insurance companies don't bump premiums for cell phone offenses, leaving many drivers willing to take the hundred-dollar gamble to take that REALLY important call.
The Gadget Solution:
Why can't the technology that endangers us also make us safe again? Those Wi-Fi enabled Chrysler models I mentioned earlier will also be voice-activated and controlled, so e-mails are read to you and voice recognition software can let you dictate your responses. Another option is the new Sync system, which also allows for hands-free voice control of your cell phone and iPod and can be installed in just about any car for a few hundred bucks.
The Results
Fixing technology with more technology can help, but doesn't quite get at the root problem, either - multitasking on the road is just plain dangerous. Recent studies have found that people who drive while talking on a hands-free device are just about as likely to be involved in an accident as those that drive while talking with the old-fashioned hand to the head. But how dangerous can it be? According to the researchers that observed both drunk drivers and multitasking drivers, it was hard to tell the difference between the two.