My first SUV is a 450h & hating the NAV override
11-01-11, 03:36 PM
#16
Out of Warranty
We may see more of this conflict as "distracted driver" issues loom large in our courts. I seem to remember a case of a man watching a video in his pickup while driving somewhere on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska over ten years ago that has been cited as precedent since. I think he managed to run into the only other vehicle within miles as his attention was riveted on the movie. He was found guilty of negligence in a collision because he was distracted while driving - something rather new in the day.
This case became the reference in case law for a lot of jurists here in the lower 48 as well, and while there have been laws on the books in many states against having a TV screen "visible to the driver", car companies seeing the potential for lawsuits, made provision to lock out the display on the nav screen while underway. It becomes a question of leaving a potentially dangerous decision to the responsibility of the manufacturer or the driver.
Should that be an individual decision? Probably not - at least as far as the manufacturer is concerned. Lexus (or any other automaker) could find themselves in a legal jam the first time a distracted driver puts his vehicle and his passengers up a tree while watching a movie. With the spread of telematics to not only automotive functions but communications and entertainment we are rapidly reaching the point of information saturation. With regular instrumentation, plus the added data from GPS, mobile phones, radio, CD, Mp3, now even DVD, onboard satellite video and internet service, we have reached the point of what the fighter jocks term "helmet fire" - a total overload of decision-making and response required in a too-short time frame. Sometimes, misjudging the priority of inputs - particularly the one out the windshield - produces deadly results.
Having toured a large number of miles in our 2Gen RX, wife ensconced in the back seat with a movie in the headset while I listened to a ball game on the radio up front, I can attest to the value of a separate RSES. Would I want it up front on the nav screen? In some cases, I would, but not when underway. Set the parking brake, no problem. My wife already has to keep slapping me away from the radio, GPS, phone and its various apps, etc. before I get myself so distracted I lose sight of the fact I'm driving. Knowing these hummingbird-like powers of attention, an entertainment video running on "my" screen would soon have us wrapped around the nearest immovable object.
This case became the reference in case law for a lot of jurists here in the lower 48 as well, and while there have been laws on the books in many states against having a TV screen "visible to the driver", car companies seeing the potential for lawsuits, made provision to lock out the display on the nav screen while underway. It becomes a question of leaving a potentially dangerous decision to the responsibility of the manufacturer or the driver.
Should that be an individual decision? Probably not - at least as far as the manufacturer is concerned. Lexus (or any other automaker) could find themselves in a legal jam the first time a distracted driver puts his vehicle and his passengers up a tree while watching a movie. With the spread of telematics to not only automotive functions but communications and entertainment we are rapidly reaching the point of information saturation. With regular instrumentation, plus the added data from GPS, mobile phones, radio, CD, Mp3, now even DVD, onboard satellite video and internet service, we have reached the point of what the fighter jocks term "helmet fire" - a total overload of decision-making and response required in a too-short time frame. Sometimes, misjudging the priority of inputs - particularly the one out the windshield - produces deadly results.
Having toured a large number of miles in our 2Gen RX, wife ensconced in the back seat with a movie in the headset while I listened to a ball game on the radio up front, I can attest to the value of a separate RSES. Would I want it up front on the nav screen? In some cases, I would, but not when underway. Set the parking brake, no problem. My wife already has to keep slapping me away from the radio, GPS, phone and its various apps, etc. before I get myself so distracted I lose sight of the fact I'm driving. Knowing these hummingbird-like powers of attention, an entertainment video running on "my" screen would soon have us wrapped around the nearest immovable object.
11-01-11, 07:20 PM
#17
Your comment made me do a little searching. #1 is talking on the cell phone. #2 is changing the CD or playing with the radio (programming the NAV is the same thing). Speeding is still bad but it's down to #8. Just searching for the facts.
http://mintinfo.hubpages.com/hub/Top...-Car-Accidents
Are you trying to say that if you program the NAV while you're driving it doesn't distract you?
http://mintinfo.hubpages.com/hub/Top...-Car-Accidents
Are you trying to say that if you program the NAV while you're driving it doesn't distract you?
I disagree, it should be an individual decision. Let me ask you a question? What is the major cause of avoidable auto accidents. Yes, its speeding, Yet car manufacturers continue to make cars faster and faster. What if the government decide that all cars should have a speed limiter that tops out at the local speed limit. This is the same as what Lexus is doing, playing big brother. It is the driver's responsibility to drive their vehicle in a safe manner, rather that means driving within the speed limit or not entering navi destination while one is driving.
11-01-11, 08:43 PM
#18
Lexus Test Driver
Actually the #1 is inattention. I agree with Lil4X, guess who the consumer sues when something goes wrong. It never seems to be their fault. That is why you can't leave it in their hands. I'm not saying we all do this but as the saying goes," It only takes one to ruin it for the rest".
11-01-11, 09:41 PM
#19
Forum Administrator
iTrader: (2)
OK folks, think everyone has expressed their thoughts on this topic 
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
