Safety Concerns
Policies regarding in car entertainment systems are less developed than laws regarding similar distractions caused by drivers using cell phone in cars. In the United States, 10 states, D.C., Guam and the Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving. Additionally, 39 states, D.C., Guam and the Virgin Islands ban text messaging for all drivers. However, few states have developed laws to limit the content that drivers can view on in car entertainment systems.
Still, researchers are beginning to analyze the potential impact of distracted drivers on the roads. Charlie Klauer, a researcher at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, says that drivers who look at screens have a much higher risk of crashing. Furthermore, the risk of crashing rises exponentially the longer a driver has taken their eyes off the road.
Automotive companies like Ford and Audi contend that they have tested and revised their latest systems in order to reduce the amount of time that drivers spend looking away from the road. However, regulations that standardize the limits on distracted driving caused by computers in cars are underdeveloped, so most auto manufacturers are free to develop systems without much oversight.
Read more about this topic: In Car Entertainment
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