No formal government regulations in place, but Ford, Honda and others are taking the initiative
Not long ago, things like voice-commanded navigation, touch-screen displays and talking computer systems were more or less relegated to the realm of Star Trek. But as these technologies become more commonplace and less expensive, vehicles that you and I can afford will eventually come equipped with them.
As they trickle down from premium brands, mainstream manufacturers will be fighting for the right to claim "firsties" with cutting edge features in their rides. It's without a doubt that these modern systems can make life easier- but they can also take ones attention away from the road. Helpful stuff, but a recipe for disaster if not used intelligently.
Navigation systems, for instance, can take the stress out of travelling in unfamiliar cities with a polite female voice guiding you to your destination. Trouble is, there's a map on a screen- and if you don't have a great deal of self-control, you'll probably look at it, a lot. This is a handy feature that can become deadly in front of the wrong set of eyeballs.
Multi-function displays are another problem. Audi's MMI and BMW's i-Drive use a central joystick or dial to call up hundreds of functions to a single screen- taking away dozens of easier-to-use buttons and knobs. These systems can become second nature once learned, but they can also require navigating through sub-menus to change things like climate control settings or the radio station.
BMW even offers Google-Search equipped cars in various parts of the world. Thank goodness for lane departure warning beepers, pre-collision braking and that disclaimer about driving distracted as the system boots up.
The folks in Ottawa say that these sorts of features all fall into the category of 'In Vehicle Telematics' (IVT's). Aftermarket parts are a different story, but standard equipment IVT devices are technically subject to the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
Transport Canada says the potential for in-vehicle telematics to contribute to driver distraction is real and of serious concern. With distraction responsible for 20 to 50 percent of all collisions and cellular phone use increasing the likelihood of said collision by up to 400 percent, reducing distraction is a good thing.
Thing is, the Motor Vehicle Safety Act is about a billion years old and offers little if any provision for dealing with IVT's. After all, distraction is a topic that defies being quantified or scientifically specified- so it's hard for the feds to deal with. Nonetheless, they started addressing it about five years ago in an attempt at modernizing the regulatory system that surrounds telematic-related distraction.
It was a start- but far from a solution. Efforts led to the negotiation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which basically laid the foundation for discussion between industry and government to identify some alternatives to address the problem.
Not long ago, things like voice-commanded navigation, touch-screen displays and talking computer systems were more or less relegated to the realm of Star Trek. But as these technologies become more commonplace and less expensive, vehicles that you and I can afford will eventually come equipped with them.
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As they trickle down from premium brands, mainstream manufacturers will be fighting for the right to claim "firsties" with cutting edge features in their rides. It's without a doubt that these modern systems can make life easier- but they can also take ones attention away from the road. Helpful stuff, but a recipe for disaster if not used intelligently.
Navigation systems, for instance, can take the stress out of travelling in unfamiliar cities with a polite female voice guiding you to your destination. Trouble is, there's a map on a screen- and if you don't have a great deal of self-control, you'll probably look at it, a lot. This is a handy feature that can become deadly in front of the wrong set of eyeballs.
Multi-function displays are another problem. Audi's MMI and BMW's i-Drive use a central joystick or dial to call up hundreds of functions to a single screen- taking away dozens of easier-to-use buttons and knobs. These systems can become second nature once learned, but they can also require navigating through sub-menus to change things like climate control settings or the radio station.
BMW even offers Google-Search equipped cars in various parts of the world. Thank goodness for lane departure warning beepers, pre-collision braking and that disclaimer about driving distracted as the system boots up.
The folks in Ottawa say that these sorts of features all fall into the category of 'In Vehicle Telematics' (IVT's). Aftermarket parts are a different story, but standard equipment IVT devices are technically subject to the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
Transport Canada says the potential for in-vehicle telematics to contribute to driver distraction is real and of serious concern. With distraction responsible for 20 to 50 percent of all collisions and cellular phone use increasing the likelihood of said collision by up to 400 percent, reducing distraction is a good thing.
Thing is, the Motor Vehicle Safety Act is about a billion years old and offers little if any provision for dealing with IVT's. After all, distraction is a topic that defies being quantified or scientifically specified- so it's hard for the feds to deal with. Nonetheless, they started addressing it about five years ago in an attempt at modernizing the regulatory system that surrounds telematic-related distraction.
It was a start- but far from a solution. Efforts led to the negotiation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which basically laid the foundation for discussion between industry and government to identify some alternatives to address the problem.