"Safety" Feature Backfires

Most vehicle manufacturers who offer navigation system in their cars
lock out most of the controls while the vehicle is moving. The idea is
to prevent the driver from fiddling with her nav system while she's
supposed to be driving.

Great idea, right? Well, maybe not.

The other day there was a blonde in an SUV who was stopped in the
middle of the street. She sat there fiddling with her nav system as
cars streamed around her like a stream around a rock.

Scott en Aztlán wrote:
> Most vehicle manufacturers who offer navigation system in their cars
> lock out most of the controls while the vehicle is moving. The idea is
> to prevent the driver from fiddling with her nav system while she's
> supposed to be driving.
>
> Great idea, right? Well, maybe not.
>
> The other day there was a blonde in an SUV who was stopped in the
> middle of the street. She sat there fiddling with her nav system as
> cars streamed around her like a stream around a rock.
>

IMHO, anyone who "needs" a GPS Nav system on the road does not have the
brains to operate a vehicle.

I never have had a nav system in my car, and never will, it's just
something else that can break and/or get stolen. I don't want a
computer chatting to me in my car.

Why spend a few grand on an in car navigation system, when $10 at a
local news agent will get you a perfectly good, up to date map?

--
SL

"The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over
to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they
succumb to it utterly and can never again escape from it"

Joseph Goebbels - Nazi Minister of Propaganda, 1933 - 1945

Sir Lex wrote:
> Scott en Aztlán wrote:
>
>> Most vehicle manufacturers who offer navigation system in their cars
>> lock out most of the controls while the vehicle is moving. The idea is
>> to prevent the driver from fiddling with her nav system while she's
>> supposed to be driving.
>>
>> Great idea, right? Well, maybe not.
>>
>> The other day there was a blonde in an SUV who was stopped in the
>> middle of the street. She sat there fiddling with her nav system as
>> cars streamed around her like a stream around a rock.
>
>
> IMHO, anyone who "needs" a GPS Nav system on the road does not have the
> brains to operate a vehicle.
>
> I never have had a nav system in my car, and never will, it's just
> something else that can break and/or get stolen. I don't want a
> computer chatting to me in my car.
>
> Why spend a few grand on an in car navigation system, when $10 at a
> local news agent will get you a perfectly good, up to date map?
>

After playing with a laptop with a cheap USB GPS receiver on a long road
trip with a friend, I can see the value. However, it's really only
useful if a) you know where you want to go but are completely unfamiliar
with the area and b) have a good copilot - it's really not practical to
be playing with the laptop and driving at the same time.

nate

--
replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

Nate Nagel wrote:
> Sir Lex wrote:
> > Scott en Aztl=E1n wrote:
> >
> >> Most vehicle manufacturers who offer navigation system in their cars
> >> lock out most of the controls while the vehicle is moving. The idea is
> >> to prevent the driver from fiddling with her nav system while she's
> >> supposed to be driving.
> >>
> >> Great idea, right? Well, maybe not.
> >>
> >> The other day there was a blonde in an SUV who was stopped in the
> >> middle of the street. She sat there fiddling with her nav system as
> >> cars streamed around her like a stream around a rock.
> >
> >
> > IMHO, anyone who "needs" a GPS Nav system on the road does not have the
> > brains to operate a vehicle.
> >
> > I never have had a nav system in my car, and never will, it's just
> > something else that can break and/or get stolen. I don't want a
> > computer chatting to me in my car.
> >
> > Why spend a few grand on an in car navigation system, when $10 at a
> > local news agent will get you a perfectly good, up to date map?
> >
>
> After playing with a laptop with a cheap USB GPS receiver on a long road
> trip with a friend, I can see the value. However, it's really only
> useful if a) you know where you want to go but are completely unfamiliar
> with the area and b) have a good copilot - it's really not practical to
> be playing with the laptop and driving at the same time.
>
> nate
>
> --
> replace "fly" with "com" to reply.
> http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel

Rest assured that there are morons out there doing it though.

Harry K

"Scott en Aztlán" wrote:
>
> Most vehicle manufacturers who offer navigation system in their cars
> lock out most of the controls while the vehicle is moving. The idea is
> to prevent the driver from fiddling with her nav system while she's
> supposed to be driving.
>
> Great idea, right? Well, maybe not.
>
> The other day there was a blonde in an SUV who was stopped in the
> middle of the street. She sat there fiddling with her nav system as
> cars streamed around her like a stream around a rock.

So, we need an interlock to prevent blondes from operating a vehicle.

--
Paul Hovnanian
------------------------------------------------------------------
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the change to take effect. Reboot now? [OK]

Paul Hovnanian P.E. wrote:
> "Scott en Aztl=E1n" wrote:
> >
> > Most vehicle manufacturers who offer navigation system in their cars
> > lock out most of the controls while the vehicle is moving. The idea is
> > to prevent the driver from fiddling with her nav system while she's
> > supposed to be driving.
> >
> > Great idea, right? Well, maybe not.
> >
> > The other day there was a blonde in an SUV who was stopped in the
> > middle of the street. She sat there fiddling with her nav system as
> > cars streamed around her like a stream around a rock.
>
> So, we need an interlock to prevent blondes from operating a vehicle.

To prevent them from being in the front seat, at least.

Scott en Aztl=E1n wrote:
> Most vehicle manufacturers who offer navigation system in their cars
> lock out most of the controls while the vehicle is moving. The idea is
> to prevent the driver from fiddling with her nav system while she's
> supposed to be driving.
>
> Great idea, right? Well, maybe not.
>
> The other day there was a blonde in an SUV who was stopped in the
> middle of the street. She sat there fiddling with her nav system as
> cars streamed around her like a stream around a rock.

It's all just another scam to fleece the public. If we left out all the
useless frills, cars would cost $5K and nothing would ever go wrong and
General Murders doesn't want that.

> IMHO, anyone who "needs" a GPS Nav system on the road does not have the
> brains to operate a vehicle.
>
> I never have had a nav system in my car, and never will, it's just
> something else that can break and/or get stolen. I don't want a
> computer chatting to me in my car.
>
> Why spend a few grand on an in car navigation system, when $10 at a
> local news agent will get you a perfectly good, up to date map?
>

I take it you've never been to Boston. The most up-to-date map won't do you
a damn bit of good when you realize that half the streets are NOT MARKED
anyway. How do you figure out how to get where you are going when you have
no fricking idea where you are? MAP SHMAP. -Dave

"Nate Nagel" > wrote in message
news:1123460014.4d8fb1558e3a145fe9e9d48c6bc183f6@t eranews...
> Sir Lex wrote:
>> Scott en Aztlán wrote:
>>
>>> Most vehicle manufacturers who offer navigation system in their cars
>>> lock out most of the controls while the vehicle is moving. The idea is
>>> to prevent the driver from fiddling with her nav system while she's
>>> supposed to be driving.
>>>
>>> Great idea, right? Well, maybe not.
>>>
>>> The other day there was a blonde in an SUV who was stopped in the
>>> middle of the street. She sat there fiddling with her nav system as
>>> cars streamed around her like a stream around a rock.
>>
>>
>> IMHO, anyone who "needs" a GPS Nav system on the road does not have the
>> brains to operate a vehicle.
>>
>> I never have had a nav system in my car, and never will, it's just
>> something else that can break and/or get stolen. I don't want a computer
>> chatting to me in my car.
>>
>> Why spend a few grand on an in car navigation system, when $10 at a local
>> news agent will get you a perfectly good, up to date map?
>>
>
> After playing with a laptop with a cheap USB GPS receiver on a long road
> trip with a friend, I can see the value. However, it's really only useful
> if a) you know where you want to go but are completely unfamiliar with the
> area and b) have a good copilot - it's really not practical to be playing
> with the laptop and driving at the same time.

i don't need one but i sure love mine! i travel all over the US all the
time and it's difficult to ascertain just how much time, money, and
frustration it's saved me since i picked it up last year. assuredly, it's a
lot...

granted i have a copilot with me 99% to be the GPS operator. but in those
rare cases where i'm driving alone, it's still great... the realtime
locator is the real help as it anticipates turns and warns you, which is
really helpful when driving in unfamiliar spots or at night when you can't
see road signs for frig...

in fact, with all the people out there using GPS systems, wouldn't you
imagine that it has helped reduce traffic? fewer people roaming around
cities lost and all.

i'd guess it's reduced aggregate traffic wasted time by 0.000023%.

;-)

brink

Laura Bush murdered her boy friend wrote:

> Scott en Aztlán wrote:
> > Most vehicle manufacturers who offer navigation system in their cars
> > lock out most of the controls while the vehicle is moving. The idea is
> > to prevent the driver from fiddling with her nav system while she's
> > supposed to be driving.
> >
> > Great idea, right? Well, maybe not.
> >
> > The other day there was a blonde in an SUV who was stopped in the
> > middle of the street. She sat there fiddling with her nav system as
> > cars streamed around her like a stream around a rock.
>
> It's all just another scam to fleece the public. If we left out all the
> useless frills, cars would cost $5K and nothing would ever go wrong and
> General Murders doesn't want that.

Actually a very good point.

Some markets have 'no frills ' vehicles that are sold at 'knock down prices'
by Western standards.

For example the Renault Motor Co purchased Dacia of Romania some time back.
They now produce a modern car with no former Eastern Bloc input called the
Logan

It has no air con, no electric windows, no sun roof, no power steering ,
even no radio. But it sells for a low price.

European customers got to hear of this and more or less demanded that it be
available in the 'home market'.

Some what reluctantly ( it seems ) Renault have agreed and it seems set to
be the first 5000 Euro car.

http://www.carkeys.co.uk/features/product/3222.asp

Graham