According to a new study released by MetLife, around 66 percent of those surveyed believe that drivers rely too heavily on technology while behind the wheel, and that reliance may contribute to unsafe driving. MetLife also found that drivers are more familiar with convenience tech than safety-oriented advancements.
I agree that it appears to be true.
GPS is nice to have when you don’t know the area. How many gas stations sell local road maps anymore?
I only find it odd since a) the “beliefs” of a general population sample tells me nothing about anything; b) relies on tech for what; and c) a car is technology. So any driver behind the wheel of a car is apparently relying on technology.
I’m pretty sure they’re generalizing the electronic doodads in today’s cars, like GPS, ipod integration, SYNC, OnStar, etc.
The same thing has happened in our daily life. Look at us typing on an internet forum, 15 yrs ago we would be down the alley/in a bar.
And it is not gonna go away either.
So, we have come to rely on weather reports, tires that seldom get flats and electronic ignition before abs and traction control. Just because cars can go faster more safely, we have raised speed limits everywhere. Big deal ;=) it’s just a sign of the times.
If I could be down the alley/in a bar I would be. The problem is all of that driving I’d have to do to get home.
@bscar - yea, I did know what the “technology” reference was to. It just drives me nuts that these days the word “technology” has become synonymous with “information technology.” IMHO it contains the seeds of sloppy thinking about humans and technology generally. My favorite technology is my pocket knife. It never needs refueling or new batteries. It requires almost no maintenance. Its small & easy to carry around in my pocket. Its good for hundreds of different things.
In the part of my life where I teach, my favorite “information technology” is actually still a piece of chalk and a chalk board. It has great performance value and still competes quite well with the electronic counterparts in terms of teaching/learning objectives. In fact, its probably easier to do high quality teaching/learning with chalk than with electronica - depending on what one is teaching, of course. Yet, no one thinks it is “technology” anymore.
See…I should be in an alleyway bar.
I have seen the MB ads for their rear seat driver technology that feeds the egos of would be drivers by touting how a man working long hours at a demanding job might be less attentive than he should be on his trip home and the car warns of inadvertent driving. I read between the lines and understand that most of the inattention these days is the result of other technologies, i.e., cell phones, texting, even video games.
to give this any credability I’d have to see the actual question as well as information on the survey group.
Ask me if I rely heavily on technology while driving and my answer would be an absolute yes. I rely on computer control of my fuel metering and my spark advance, I rely on disc brakes, rack & pinion steering, technology to prevent me from overrevving my engine, energy absorbing design should I crash, airbags, and countless other minor technologies including modern casting and manufacturing materials and techniques. But I do not rely on GPS or stability control systems. We won’t even discuss emissions systems, the EVAP system especially. Blah!
I never yield to a survey unless I know the question(s), he methodology, the sample selection, and how the survey was conducted.
I would agree with the survey, especially if we are talking about equipment that monitors your blind spots and following distances.
GPS technology on new cars may be nice, but, being a former long-distance trucker, I still prefer pre-planning a trip with a trusty Rand-McNally atlas; they cost some bucks, but you can pick one up at any major truck stop, like Pilot, Flying-J, T/A or Petro. I’d recommend doing just that to anyone who travels a lot.
Also, unless you have a type of neck injury or disability, you can always turn your head quickly (very quickly) to check out a blind spot (in addition to using a spot mirror); just make sure you have a reasonable following distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you. Don’t be tempted to rely too heavily on blind spot cameras, backup cameras, etc.
While I like technology, in a car it has to be implemented extremely well, or it’s a distraction. Ford’s running into this with the grief they’ve gotten over ‘My Touch’, and BMW took years to get ‘iDrive’ in shape. “Years” is not a good response, they should get it right to begin with. Luckily, my cars still have knobs, and I won’t be getting something new for a long time.
Call me a Rand-McNally & spot mirror guy along with you.
I’ve been known to go through the atlas just as leisure. I love maps, and I love actually knowing where I am. And I almost never stop for directions - but its because I don’t get lost!
But alas, I fear that this all just makes me old.
If you buy the newest Rand-McNally trucker’s atlas when it first comes out, it’s expensive, but if you are willing to buy the previous year’s edition, or buy one right before the new one comes out, you can save some bucks.
I must admit I’ve considered getting a GPS for my touring motorcycle. It sure would be nice not to have to pull over to look at maps and directions, and just let the machine do the work.
I often drive a car with a GPS installed and it is very useful but I check the maps and plan my route before leaving and enjoy the count down to my exits and the speed limit indicator. It has instructed me to wander all over So California when I-10 was taking me where I wanted to go.
Those same people who rely SO heavily on some technologies are the same ones who insist…
— It’s someone elses fault —
when they fail to exercise a little LOGIC and the technology fails them.
I must concur, ken.
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, problem with high tech is that many people who love the stuff to death will scream the loudest when the bill for high tech failures comes due.
As to GPS, I’ll take a road map any day of the week. Before traveling I always look them over and check them often during a trip just to monitor mileage and whatnot.
A GPS unit may go belly up out in the middle of nowhere but a road map in the glove box will never fail.