Big Screens And Non-Stop Distractive Driving: In-Vehicle Technology; More Dangerous than Every

 

Summary

• Vehicles Are Becoming Rolling Entertainment Centers: Oversized dashboard screens, social media, messaging apps, emails, and video calls are turning vehicles into mobile offices and entertainment hubs.

• Convenience Is Creating Dangerous Distractions: Just because technology is factory-installed doesn't mean it's safe to use while driving. Visual, manual, and cognitive distractions all increase the risks behind the wheel.

• Built-In Technology Should Follow the Same Safety Principles: If certain activities are considered dangerous on a smartphone, shouldn't we question why similar features are available through dashboard screens?

• Lock Out Distracting Features When Driving: Automakers should automatically restrict nonessential interactive features whenever a vehicle is shifted out of PARK, including social media, texting, web browsing, video streaming, and email.

• Keep Essential Technology Accessible: Navigation, emergency features, music, podcasts, and basic audio controls should remain available, while passengers should be able to enjoy their own entertainment without distracting the driver.

• It's Time to Put Driving Safety First: Automotive innovation should be measured by how effectively it improves safety, not by how many screens, apps, and entertainment features can be crammed into a dashboard.
  
  
  

  

At What Point Has Keeping Your Eyes On The Road And Your Hands On The Steering Wheel Become a Thing of The Past? 

Let's face it: vehicles are starting to feel less like vehicles and more like rolling entertainment centers or even mobile offices. But is all this high-tech convenience coming at too high a price?

As dashboard screens stretch across the entire front of the cabin and in-vehicle technology becomes more advanced, it's worth asking: Is driving safety now second, third, fourth, or even further down the list of priorities when we're behind the wheel?

We Don't Just Drive Anymore. We Dangerously Multitask.

Think back to when your vehicle's dashboard consisted of a handful of gauges, a couple of switches, some dials, and a stereo. If you drive a newer vehicle, those days may be long gone. Now, automakers are racing to cram the latest technology into every new model, and the moment you sit behind the wheel, you're greeted by an increasing number of digital features.

Instead of a simple display, you're faced with massive screens stretching across the dashboard, connecting drivers and passengers to a massive amount of apps, music, maps, and messaging. Some vehicles, particularly higher-trim models, offer internet browsing, social media access, video calls, video games, and video streaming.

But there's a line between technology that helps you drive and technology that does everything except help you drive safely.

When did a simple drive become an opportunity to check email, reply to messages, or even join a work meeting? Sometimes, it's hard enough to drink your coffee and change the radio station while driving. Now imagine doing those things while checking emails, scrolling through social media, responding to texts, searching for directions, or checking the latest news.

At what point does convenience become a dangerous distraction?

Big Screens, Big Distractions

It's not just the size of these screens that's the issue. It's what they allow drivers and passengers to do while the vehicle is moving.

Some automakers now offer dashboards that span from door to door, with separate screens for drivers and passengers. In my opinion, having an attentive passenger who can help keep an eye on the road adds to my sense of safety. But if that passenger is completely immersed in the digital world, you may as well be driving alone.

And when does their distraction become your distraction?

A passenger watching a movie or scrolling through social media might not seem like a safety concern. However, if they're using a screen that the driver can also see, or interacting with content that encourages the driver to look over, the situation changes.

Bottom line: Vehicle technology should make driving safer and simpler, not more complicated or risky.

Social Feeds, Messages, and Meetings: Distractions From the Driver's Seat

Let's be real: We're more connected than ever. Social media, messaging apps, and video calls are part of everyday life. But should any of that be happening while we're behind the wheel?

Imagine you're cruising down the highway when a notification pops up. It's a text from your partner, an email from your boss, or a social media alert. You glance over for just a second.

But in that second, traffic could slow down, another vehicle could change lanes, or a pedestrian could step into your path. At highway speeds, even a brief distraction can mean traveling the length of a football field without noticing what's happening around you.

There's another concern we don't talk about enough: how these digital interruptions affect our emotions and behavior.

What happens when an irritating email from your boss arrives through your vehicle's built-in office features? Or when you receive exciting news that makes you want to celebrate? Could you become angry, speed up, slow down, or react impulsively? Our emotions can influence our driving, and introducing more opportunities for emotional distractions isn't necessarily a good thing.

Then there's the problem of becoming accustomed to being constantly connected. Between work, home, and social life, we rarely seem to unplug. When our vehicles offer access to all of it, we may start feeling obligated to respond immediately, even when the message isn't important.

It's easy to forget that most messages can wait five minutes until you've found a safe place to park.

And let's not kid ourselves: There's a big difference between making a necessary, brief phone call and participating in a lengthy conversation, scrolling through social media, or joining a team meeting. The longer your attention is divided, the more opportunities there are for something to go wrong.

Just because your vehicle can double as a home office or entertainment center doesn't mean it should.

Why Is Built-In Technology Treated Differently?

Here's something to think about: Distracted-driving laws across the United States restrict certain activities, including texting and manually using a phone while driving. In Michigan, for example, it's illegal to manually use a phone while driving, subject to the law's specific exceptions.

But what about dashboard screens that offer many of the same activities?

Does the fact that a feature comes factory-installed automatically make it safe to use while driving? Absolutely not.

Automakers may promote these features as selling points, emphasizing convenience, connectivity, and entertainment. However, just because a feature is built into the vehicle doesn't mean it belongs in the driver's field of attention while the vehicle is moving.

The real issue isn't where the screen is located. It's whether the activity encourages you to do something other than drive safely.

Looking away from the road to read a message on a dashboard screen can be just as distracting as looking at a phone. Tapping through menus or typing on a touchscreen can take your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel, and your attention away from driving.

Maybe it's time for automakers and lawmakers to focus less on making life more convenient for drivers and more on reinforcing an important point: Driving is a responsibility, not a game.

If certain activities are considered dangerous enough to restrict on a phone, shouldn't we also examine how those same activities are handled when they're built into the vehicle?

The Three Types of Driver Distraction

To understand the problem, it helps to break down driver distraction into three main categories:

• Visual distraction: Taking your eyes off the road to read a message, search through menus, or look at a video.

• Manual distraction: Taking your hands off the wheel to type, scroll, or tap a touchscreen.

• Cognitive distraction: Taking your mind off driving to concentrate on a conversation, a message, or something happening on a screen.

Texting is particularly dangerous because it can involve all three types of distraction at once.

Built-in infotainment systems don't magically eliminate these risks. Even hands-free features can demand mental attention, especially during lengthy or emotionally engaging conversations.

For example, someone on the other end of a phone call might not realize you're approaching heavy traffic, navigating a complicated intersection, or driving through a construction zone. They may continue talking without understanding how much concentration the situation requires.

Safe driving requires more than keeping your hands on the wheel. Your eyes and mind need to remain focused on the road, too.

Let's Lock Out Distracting Features While Driving

Here's my suggestion: Automakers should automatically restrict nonessential, interactive driver-facing features whenever the vehicle is shifted out of PARK.

That means that once you shift into DRIVE or REVERSE, features that encourage drivers to look away from the road or interact with a screen should be disabled or restricted.

These could include:

• Reading or sending texts: Most systems offer an automatic response, such as, "Got your text. I'm driving. I'll be in touch when I reach my destination."

• Browsing social media: Scrolling through feeds, viewing posts, or interacting with content should be unavailable to the driver.

• Surfing the web: General internet browsing should be restricted while the vehicle is moving.

• Watching videos: Driver-facing video playback should be disabled when the vehicle is in motion, except for permitted safety-related displays.

• Joining video calls: Drivers should not be able to participate in video meetings while driving.

• Reading or writing emails: Nonessential work communications should wait until the vehicle is parked.

• Navigating complicated menus: Tasks that require extended visual attention or repeated touchscreen interaction should be restricted or made easier to complete before departure.

Of course, drivers should still be able to use essential navigation, emergency features, and basic audio entertainment. Vehicle controls and safety-related information must remain accessible, too.

Passengers should also be able to enjoy their own screens for movies, games, or other entertainment, provided the systems are designed to minimize interference with the driver's attention.

The goal isn't to eliminate technology. It's to prevent technology from competing with the driver's primary responsibility: getting everyone to their destination safely.

Think of it as a designated driver for your digital distractions. The technology can be there when you need it, but it shouldn't be allowed to take the wheel.

Bring Back the Joy and Simplicity of Driving

Do we have to return to the 1950s, with analog gauges and only a handful of radio stations? Not at all.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying music, podcasts, or audiobooks on the road. GPS navigation with voice directions can be a tremendous help, and hands-free controls can reduce some risks, although they don't eliminate distraction entirely.

The key difference is between passive listening and active interaction.

You can listen to music without constantly looking down at a screen or swiping through menus. You can also set your navigation, choose your playlist, and adjust your preferences before you start driving.

A little preparation can go a long way toward reducing distractions once you're on the road.

If you need to make a lengthy call, answer an important email, or respond to a text, find a safe place to park first. Parking lots and expressway rest areas offer opportunities to stop and take care of business without putting yourself or others at unnecessary risk.

Waiting a few minutes to find a safe place could prevent a decision you regret for the rest of your life.

Sometimes, the best thing you can do is simply drive and make contact later. Most of us aren't that important anyway.

Let's Innovate for Safety, Not Just Entertainment

Today's vehicles come loaded with impressive technology. But progress shouldn't be measured by screen size or the number of apps a dashboard can offer.

Real automotive innovation should be measured by how effectively it makes driving safer, easier, and more convenient without introducing unnecessary risks.

Automakers, lawmakers, and drivers all have roles to play. Automakers need to consider how their technology affects driver attention. Lawmakers should examine whether existing distracted-driving rules adequately address new in-vehicle features. And drivers need to recognize that having access to a feature doesn't mean it's safe to use while moving.

We knew long before the latest technology boom that certain activities were dangerous behind the wheel. That's why distracted-driving laws exist in the first place.

It's time to apply that same safety-first thinking to emerging in-vehicle technology.

My idea is simple: Automatically restrict distracting apps and interactive features when the vehicle leaves PARK. Keep essential functions accessible, allow passengers to enjoy their entertainment, and give drivers fewer reasons to take their attention away from the road.

The road isn't your office, your newsfeed, your social media outlet, or your home entertainment center. It's a place where a single moment of distraction can change lives.

Let's stop asking our vehicles how well they can keep us connected to everything happening in our lives and start asking how they can help protect our lives and the lives of others.