Driving and <anything other than driving> don’t mix well, as I recently pointed out. Unfortunately, the number of <things other than driving> that you can do in a car grows fast as new technologies turn our cars into mobile electronic appliances with ever more computing, communications and multimedia capabilities. The more screens, computers, GPS systems and cellular communications on board, the less will the driver keep his or her eyes on the road!
It is encouraging, then, to read that Ford has responded to this issue and will introduce, in selected 2011 models, features specifically intended to prevent distraction. The new MyFord Touch system has a large “Do Not Disturb” button, which will block incoming phone calls and text-message alerts while the vehicle is moving. Incoming calls, we are told, will be diverted to your cell phone’s voicemail, but you can still make voice-activated outbound calls.
Furthermore, the system will lock out – disable – some features while the vehicle is in motion, even without driver command. These include pairing a Bluetooth phone, browsing the web, playing videos and editing photos. Anything that requires typing on the keypad is prohibited while the car is moving.
You don’t say! Drivers won’t be allowed to edit photos while driving?! How cruel!…
Related Posts
Finally! a Big Button to End Workday Interruptions!
what about passengers, especially the kids in the back seat?
I believe the kids are exempt… this is about the driver’s comm suite.
then how will the auto determine which phone to disable, and enforce that the driver isn’t allowing all phones, or that the kid in the back seat will want to use dad’s phone?
I believe the system intercepts calls at the hands-free built into the car; if so, then any phones not paired to it – such as the passengers’ – should remain unaffected. Also if the driver doesn’t enable his own phone’s pairing then that phone too would ring normally.
The system doesn’t presume to be foolproof – fools are, after all, way too ingenious for that – it merely helps the driver stay safe and legal if he is motivated to do it.