Car Connectivity

As the planet gets to be more connected so do our cars. Cars like the Audi A6, Ford Edge, and the Lincoln MKX allow people to surf the web while in their front seat. People are now able to, stream music, get latest traffic information, but is all this access a good thing while driving? Usually it’s exciting to see technological developments, but when it comes to our safety on the highway can there be such a thing as too much connectivity?

Challenges of the Connected Car

People get unfocused when they text or chat with their phones while driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that 80 percent of traffic accidents include driver inattention within 3 seconds of the crash. So, if basic cell phone use is a disruption imagine what it would be like if an individual is video Skyping with their closest friend while driving or watching that funny Super Bowl commercial.

Does Tech Distract Drivers?

Drivers should focus on the road. Whatever takes their focus away from it—regardless of whether it’s chomping down on a fast-food burger or hunting for traffic information—can cause potentially fatal accidents. That is why the news that cars are on pace to become a lot more connected is welcomed with just as much hesitation as anticipation.

Browsing the Web Inside Your Car

Regardless of how we feel regarding this, unless laws are put into place stopping it, people will soon have the ability to stream YouTube videos, Google an answer to a question, and correspond via social media sites in their cars. Maybe the next step ought to be to increase the self-driving aspects to cars; but perhapsthat would disconnect us even more to the world around us.

As we said before, enhancements in technology ordinarily have us excited. But the biggest concern with the connected car is that, will raising the amount of distractions increase the level of accidents? Car connectivity will bring a lot of amusement to travelers, especially on long commutes, but it’s important that drivers recognize the need to stay focused on the road regardless of how adorable that video of a baby monkey is.