As if there weren’t enough distractions on the road today, a company announced this week at the Geneva Motor Show in Switzerland that it is bringing to market new ways to actually allow motorists to interact more technology, social and otherwise, while behind the wheel.
Harman said it will be offering several audio and connectivity solutions to allow motorists to better monitor traffic, hear Twitter and Facebook updates, play podcasts, and listen to streaming music via WiFi, according to Connected World Magazine.The solutions also promise to connect specific smart phones and tablets with the vehicle’s in-dash head unit as well as with media players.
Smart car technology is already available on a very limited basis straight from manufacturers that allows vehicles to transmit road speed and proximity data to inform other drivers about traffic congestion, upcoming road hazards, etc.But this new announcement takes things to a decidedly new and entertainment-driven level, so to speak. In fact, Harman refers to itself as an “infotainment” provider.
Certainly such technology is not designed for school buses, and there’s no way schools would be able to afford it even if they wanted it. But the announcement does beg the question about how highway and road safety could be affected, as school bus drivers already have their hands full managing on-board student behavior and other road hazards, including those of the distracted driving variety. And those are just the tip of the iceberg. Research already exists that suggests humans are very limited in their ability to multitask.
Despite the big push nationally and internationally over the past couple of years to educate the public on the perils of distracted driving, what are your thoughts on more and more trinkets being available to motorists? What’s school transportation’s role in this discussion?
