THE NEXT NEW CAR FEATURE THAT ENHANCES THE DRIVING FEATURE–DASHBOARD LCD SCREENS THAT INTERFACES TO ANY SMARTPHONES

When it comes to dashboard displays that are more like smart phones, two things are clear: Customers want them, and automakers are intent on supplying them.
But are they really a good idea?
Car companies answer with an emphatic yes. They say outsized dashboard displays that behave more like smart phones will boost revenue and attract buyers. And they also insist the new screens will make driving less dangerous, because of well-integrated voice controls and large touch screens that will keep drivers from fumbling with more dangerous mobile phones.
But the increasingly elaborate screens have also sparked a broad debate about how much technology is appropriate in a car.
“I think they (the screens) raise serious public safety questions,” said Joe Simitian, the former California lawmaker who spearheaded the state’s laws on phone use while driving. “From a legislative standpoint, this is going to be something legislators struggle with for years to come.”
“You can’t be looking at a screen and be looking at the road at the same time,” said David Strayer, a professor of cognition and neural science at the University of Utah, who has written several studies on distracted driving. The screens “are enabling activities that take your eyes off the road for longer than most safety advocates would say is safe.”
His research shows that reading the average text message-a function some of the screens support-takes four seconds, far longer than what he considers safe.
But for automakers and their customers, the souped-up screens are proving irresistible.
http://www.japantoday.com/category/technology/view/car-dashboards-that-act-like-smartphones-raise-safety-issues