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Cars.com Auto Review
Hi, I'm Kelsey Mays for Cars.com.
In new cars these days, multimedia systems are proliferating.
They're spreading across a lot of cars as automakers replace
traditional center controls with a large touch screen.
Unfortunately, that's also introducing some driver distraction issues.
Here to talk about the ramifications, we've got safety expert
Mark Woirol from Allstate. Mark, thanks for joining us today.
Kelsey, thanks for having me on. I appreciate it.
So, let's talk about these systems. I mean, what are they,
what are some of the issues posed?
You know, the systems in the market today have come so far in the last two to three years.
You had systems that three years ago worked off a basis
of an embedded module that connected to a satellite cellular connection,
to now the systems are built into where a Bluetooth connection,
a vehicle to an iPhone, can run the systems on the car and the apps that are out there.
So drivers and their passengers are more connected than ever these days
with Facebook and other social media and what have you.
How do we convince them that while they're behind the wheel,
driving is the first priority?
Great question. One of the biggest things - and you hit it on the head -
is that all the apps that are available to them -
they have Google, they have Yelp, they have Pandora -
all these apps, they still need to focus on driving the vehicle
and watching on the road versus touching the screens that are out there.
But Mark, aren't these systems safer than someone having one hand
thumbing away on a smart phone and the other hand on the wheel?
Absolutely, Kelsey. Um, if we look at the systems three years ago,
you had little knobs and buttons that they had to push so they're focusing more
on what's out there. In today's system, while it's touch screen,
it makes it a lot easier for them. The screens are bigger.
They're typically about an eight-inch screen versus a four-inch screen.
So the ability to actually get in and see what's out there is good,
but it gets back to they still need to be focusing on the road
and what's going on in front of them versus the apps.
So it sounds like we've come a long ways from where these screens were,
five or even ten years ago. What's been - what's been the reaction
from some of the regulators? I know that uh
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has been talking about
how he's on this kind of crusade against distracted driving.
Um, what's been the reaction there?
Distracted driving comes in a lot of different forms.
It can come in texting, it can come in talking on a cell phone,
it can come in using an infotainment center, it can come in simply talking in a car,
such as we're doing right now. At the end of the day,
it gets back to paying attention.
If you look at current statistics that are out there,
25% of all reported collisions are a result of distracted driving.
Out of that 25%, 80% are three seconds or less to impact.
Three seconds not focusing on the road is a big deal.
Allstate's a big proponent of teen education and no texting,
so we're a big proponent on these systems on what they can do,
but also the fact that we need to pay attention to the road.
So automakers want to increase profitability of cars, and this is one way.
How do we reconcile that with safety and consumers wanting to stay connected?
I think when you look at what's available out there on the systems, um
the government as well as the insurance industry and other researchers
are keenly aware of what the systems can do,
and there is a lot of dialogue going on in regards to
how do you work through these systems to give the customer what they want,
but also in fact have safety built into these systems.
Um, some manufacturers do better than others in regards to what the systems can do.
Functionality is actually taken out of some systems while the car is in motion,
which again is a good thing to where there's not a distraction with the driver.
We do have a long way to go, but I feel that, based on where we're at today,
all parties are at least talking about it.
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