Car Entertainment Systems ( Is It A Silent Killer )

[kotte mafia]

With the new technical gadgets from navigation systems to home entertainment systems finding their way into the motor car and preventing the driver from paying full attention to that is happening on the road

Not so long ago the car radio/cassette player became a standard item in most new vehicles having made huge technical strides from the first car radio inventor by American PAUL galvin in 1929

Galvin quickly realized the potentional of his gadget and combing the idea of motion and radio he named his company Motorola

Contemporary mobile audio components are a far cry from the car radio / cassette or eight-track players of the 1970s and the 1980s the can can literally be turned into an entertainment centre with DVD player or Mp3 player, LCD screens and the navigation system

LCD screens in the dash board often has separate displays either folding down from the roof or the headrest for rear seat passengers who can watch their favorite movie

Complete with surround sound just like home

Initially the navigation systems provided simple voice commands, but the latest gadgets provide almost realistic 3D images of buildings and street ahead but that is not all.

At the recent Hanover computer fair (CeBIT), BMW became the world’s first manufacture offering access to the Internet in the car. Web content including e-mails is displayed on the LCD screen as part of the companies “Connected Drive” system. Data is transmitted by EDGE-Technology, which is upto four times faster than the mobile standard GPRS.

Realizing the possible risk to road safety, BMW however offers only limited online access. The LCD screen goes black when the car travels above five kilometers an hour

Safety experts point out that the driver could be dangerously distracted by all these gadgets, with a movie running, several passengers chatting on mobile phones and the navigator giving direction commands.

At the same time the driver is confronted by a plethora of knobs, buttons and switches to operate while driving.

Germany’s automobile association ADAC criticized that a moving images on DVD-players or navigation systems can be particularly distracting to the driver.

“The human being is programmed to react to moving images perceived from the corner of the eye” says the ADAC vehicle technology centre.

Many navigation systems provide an overload of images that distract the driver in addition the screens are so small that details suck as traffic signs cannot be seen. Navigation systems should be kept simple in giving clear voice commands

Safety recommendations made by the ADAC are:

Children watching a DVD movie on the back seat should wear ear phones because sudden noises like gunshots can dangerously distract the driver

Car video systems should be fitted with electronic sensors that switch the gadget off when the car is moving. Current systems can be easily be manipulated, allowing live transition of images while the car is moving

The volume of the car entertainment systems should be kept at a tolerable level

Only crash-tested products should be used and installed by an expert. systems not installed properly and with poor fastening can cause serious injury.

Products with simple controls are better. Navigation systems should not provide additional functions like image displays and games

Music downloads such as I pods and USB sticks should not be used while driving. Sets are available that can connect them to the car radio

[SeanD]

very well written article. Thanks kotte mafia for your alternative viewpoint.

http://lifestyle.monstersandcritics.com/au...ainment_systems

[Ripper]

very well written article. Thanks kotte mafia for your alternative viewpoint.

http://lifestyle.monstersandcritics.com/au...ainment_systems

well lets no take this too far for all we know with the amount of stupidity freely available in this country...some intelligent bugger would want to ban all car stereos etc

just my 2 cents after having a crash yesterday cos i was switching tracks on my ipod...

Lotsa of my friends were talking about their accidents in somewhat similar situs in their desperate attempt to make me feel better...

one guy has crashed into the front vehicle cos he was checking out a hot lady on the side of the road...

another crashed the sameway turning back asking the back seat folks to wear seat belts...this crash was so bad they had to use a car carrier to take it to the garage

basically my point is that you the driver gotta use that homo sapiens brains of yours and not loose concentration or else the list of things we will have to not have in a driving situ would be quite long and quite stupid...

[Pericles]

one guy has crashed into the front vehicle cos he was checking out a hot lady on the side of the road...

You find thats quite common. There is a forum member with a similar experience.

[harshansenadhir]

You find thats quite common. There is a forum member with a similar experience.

Quite true what this article says but its not only car stereo, any interference it can vary from a cellphone to a hot lady sitting next to you

In my experience I've never met with an accident while I was speeding, most of the instances I met with accidents while doing a slow drive and my concentration on the road was low. And more importantly when I encounter a road rage (which I'm not encouraging) I switch off the setup or decrease the volume, this I do without any intention, automatically like but I find its better coz I can be more vigilant and use my senses on traffic and the road

[leonardo]

Quite true what this article says but its not only car stereo, any interference it can vary from a cellphone to a hot lady sitting next to you

In my experience I've never met with an accident while I was speeding, most of the instances I met with accidents while doing a slow drive and my concentration on the road was low. And more importantly when I encounter a road rage (which I'm not encouraging) I switch off the setup or decrease the volume, this I do without any intention, automatically like but I find its better coz I can be more vigilant and use my senses on traffic and the road

same here (touchwood). when i'm speeding with the stereo on full blast i am even more alert than usual. Checking my mirrors, keeping an eye out for coppers or anyone or anything jumping across the road, keeping both hands on the steering and generally trying to be more alert and pre-determining what the traffic conditions ahead are like etc.

whereas when i'm crawling back home during peak time traffic, i get lazy and bored and that's when i've had a couple of accidents in the past more due to carelessness than anything else.

unfortunately i very rarely see a real stunning lady walking on the road in sl! i must not be getting out enough!

[kotte mafia]

yap many of our known frnds met with accidents cos of hot chicks on the road may be ... we should tel time ministry of transportation to bring up a new rule to bann hot chicks walking around close to main roads ....

lots of people switch off there boom box when they r driving or reduce it so u can focus more on what ur doing .. specially when i made my accidents mostly it was pure carelessness not taking it very seriously cos i was driving in low speeds

but as a fellow driver and a sports car fan i see a lot of people drive verygood when they are under the influence of drugs,dope & drinks they all ways remember to put there seat belts they change lanes properly they never over speed and most of all even for a small turn they use signal lights ... god kws why but when they r normal they are a totally nuts out of there minds i'm one of those guys too having that different style of driving

same very few they think speeding is everything and as soon as they r behind the weel they start pressing the pedel to the metel and mostly they r under the influence of something (drugs , kokane , drinks , extacy ,ETC ) and they put there lifes on the line as well as other (go to hell with them if u want to drive and kill ur self it's ok but don't take me with it )

there are frnds who can't barely even stand up by them selfs after parting but when u some how place them on a driving seat they drive very carefully but the following day ask abt the story they can't even remember they call u and ask u who droped them home ....

may be the brain starts working when ur drunk or high

[Ripper]

yap many of our known frnds met with accidents cos of hot chicks on the road may be ... we should tel time ministry of transportation to bring up a new rule to bann hot chicks walking around close to main roads ....

lots of people switch off there boom box when they r driving or reduce it so u can focus more on what ur doing .. specially when i made my accidents mostly it was pure carelessness not taking it very seriously cos i was driving in low speeds

but as a fellow driver and a sports car fan i see a lot of people drive verygood when they are under the influence of drugs,dope & drinks they all ways remember to put there seat belts they change lanes properly they never over speed and most of all even for a small turn they use signal lights ... god kws why but when they r normal they are a totally nuts out of there minds i'm one of those guys too having that different style of driving

same very few they think speeding is everything and as soon as they r behind the weel they start pressing the pedel to the metel and mostly they r under the influence of something (drugs , kokane , drinks , extacy ,ETC ) and they put there lifes on the line as well as other (go to hell with them if u want to drive and kill ur self it's ok but don't take me with it )

there are frnds who can't barely even stand up by them selfs after parting but when u some how place them on a driving seat they drive very carefully but the following day ask abt the story they can't even remember they call u and ask u who droped them home ....

may be the brain starts working when ur drunk or high

dude as a fellow boozer and party man... i think those piss drunk buggers who get home safe achieves that thanks to other driver's driving extra safe and watching out for drunkards and morons especially after hours...

I think it's utter rubbish to think that you or anyone can drive "safer" under the influence of alcohols and the likes cos it's a fact that you reaction times and sense of reality goes all F all after enough drinks etc...

Once i tried to play my favorite FPS game on my PS after a few drinks at home and i got clobbered so bad cos my reaction time was all f'd up...That's just one example so now after parties i always take a cab home... And most heavy boozers and grass/hash hoppers i know does the same...

I completely disagree with you that anybody driving "verygood" in your own words under the influence of drugs and booze

[kotte mafia]

very good in my openion is bro ..going home ... nothing else .... after the way we r parting going home in one piece is the biggest achivement i can get and in my thinking a very good way of driving ...

ya to be in the safe side the best thing is not to drive after ur drunk .... i agree on that hands down

[GearHead]

very well written article. Thanks kotte mafia for your alternative viewpoint.

http://lifestyle.monstersandcritics.com/au...ainment_systems

SeanD,

Machan did you use copyescape to find the relevant link?

[SeanD]

SeanD,

Machan did you use copyescape to find the relevant link?

Lol. No I just used google