The new gadget-laden 04 TL appears to have given even more incentive to some to add after-market devices that enable dvd-video through the Nav screen. Other threads suggest the desire to have even more cool graphical devices to increase the wow-factor of this car. My concern is that anything that detracts, even for a second, from driving safely should be re-evaluated as to whether it is worth the risk.

I do appreciate that many of the gadgets aid in safer driving such as the NAV voice-response, the volume and channel controls on the steering wheel, and the handsfree bluetooth link.

I hope the maturity of the people that own these cars realize that their primary responsibility is to drive safely and not injure themselves, their passengers, or fellow drivers. By maturity, I mean the self recognition that no one is immune from distraction. That all of us are fallible and can cause preventable serious accidents over some self-indulgent toy. It is maturity that controls those temptations and considers the consequences of those actions beforehand.

 

i completely understand your point...i, personally would like to install more gadgets in my car...but some of it is just there for "show"...just so that i feel as if i have it and that not that many TL owners have...i like my car to be different than the other TL's on the road...i know it is dangerous to have tv's in the front but i am not going to sit there and concentrate on the tv rather than the road becuase one wrong move on the road, there goes the TL AND THE TV!!! lol...but you are right though, it is very important to pay attention to the road but also try to understand that usually people "hook-up" their cars as a hobby...for example, i have neons in my other car, and i must turn them on like ONCE a month lol...i know it's illegal but i also know that IT'S THERE AND I HAVE IT IN MY CAR...

 

I don't think the number of gadgets have anything to do with the safety of the car. It is solely the responsibility of the driver. I think that if the driver is a good conciencious driver it won't matter if there is a TV, graphic display, navigation, etc in the front. They should know to pay attention to their driving.

Heck, I've nearly been hit by a lot of people that will find some sort of distraction no matter what is installed in their vehicle (cell phone, book, makeup, etc.). Poor driving habits are what lowers safety, not the vehicle.

It seems to me our high stress, rush about, can't take time to do things right society has bred drivers that are no longer concerned with safe driving, they just want to get where they are going and be entertained in the process. I'm amazed how some folks can carry on a phone conversation for 30-40 minutes in a car in rush hour traffic. They drive down the road, oblivious to the fact that there is a line of cars behind them because they are driving 10-15 mph slower than everyone else on the road.

So are these gadgets a good idea, no, not if they are used by people that aren't mature or intelligent enough to use them properly. Will there be people who will install them even if it is against the law and common sense, yes! All we can do is keep our eyes out for them and steer clear so we don't get hit by the nimrod watching a Girls Gone Wild video on the navi monitor and not paying attention to the road.

 

My focus was not on the number of gadgets, but the maturity of the person who might be adding gadgets without realizing the temptation, once installed, could lead to a serious accident.

Another words, do you really need to watch a video or tv while you are driving? Is it worth the risk that you may run over a small child because of your own self-indulgence. The maturity I am talking about is the realization that it can happen to you and that you are not immune to distraction no matter how good of a driver you think you are. Many young drivers tend to think they are invincible and totally competent drivers. They do not factor in their own fallibility that other more mature drivers do.

Age is not the total measure of maturity. For instance, some senior citizens probably should not be driving at all if their eyesight or reflexes are not what they used to be and are now unsafe as a driver.

 

Eiffel,

I agree, we have a lot of folks on the road today that shouldn't have any added distractions as they drive. This leads me to an issue I've always had in that it is too easy to get a drivers license in some parts of the US. Here in Texas, kids can skip formal driver's education if their parent signs a form saying they have taught them. Now they still have to pass the State's written test and driving exam, but those don't test common sense or etiquette. Driving should be treated with much higher regard and a driver should demonstrate true ability to handle more than just normal driving situations before being issued a license. Also I think everyone needs to be retested on a regular interval. The last time I renewed my license I saw an elderly man retake the vision test about 5 times before they passed him. So not all our problems are caused by gadgets, but they certainly don't help. But that's my opinion....

Like I said in the previous post, it seems like folks are trying to do three things at once. Driving safely is now secondary. We have to close a business deal, eat lunch, find a contract in a briefcase, and ... uh.... thats' right... drive the car. This whole situation is magnified if you live somewhere that has bad traffic problems (and what city these days doesn't?). People now try to make the most of that time you spend on the road, so they multitask and driving just becomes another thing to do during the 40 minute commute.

So the popularity of TVs, DVD players, MP3s, PCs, etc. in the auto is just a symptom of our lives today. We aren't happy with just driving and listening to music. We have to talk to someone on the phone and watch a movie to feel we are making the most of our time. If we don't, we feel cheated. Unfortunately it is this situation that leads to accidents. Folks have forgotten that when you are driving you are wielding a ton or two of death. Many have gotten complacent in thinking that their mega-size sport utility/urban assalt vehicle will proctect them and their family no matter what, so why worry about driving properly or courteously? "Just get out of my way and let me get home!"

Unfortunately for a lot of us, our cars have become an escape from the chaos that is the world today and perhaps some need more than just a great car to make that escape complete. I guess I count myself as being lucky in that I don't need more than my car and some good tunes to make my commute tolerable, it's just having to keep my eye out for the ones that aren't happy that makes it more difficult.

 

Some punk-ass kid passed me the other night in his Integra with a big DVD screen protruding from his dash with a movie playing...I hope he was only posing and not actually trying to watch the movie, but heck, I've seen people reading paperbacks and driving.

 

A lot of people in the US drive distracted. The main reason is that our speed limits are so low that driving is a dull chore. Not only that but police only enforce speed. Lane etiquette is unkown people drive in the left lane at 50 mph while eating a taco and chatting on a cellphone for christ sakes!!!! If we emulated german speeds I would love to see whose eyes were not glued to the road when travelling at constant 85 to 100mph in heavy traffic.