Distracted Driving From Ford Motor Co

The Financial Post shared that Ford is planning to enable many of its new vehicles with web browsing capability. Oh, and a bunch of Touch like tools as well. There is a nod to safety:

The automaker also is incorporating the Twitter social network’s Open Beak application into Sync and is adding Pandora and Stitcher Internet radio and MapQuest.com’s online mapping information. Ford developed its own Web browser, which can be operated only while the car is parked, Mr. Kuzak said.

(emphasis mine)

The US Transportation Secretary is quoted in the article:

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood testified Oct. 29 that he found Ford’s Sync system distracting when he tested it on a Taurus sedan during a visit to Dearborn.

Really! Distracted by a Touch screen in a car when you are supposed to be paying attention. Who would have thunk it. As a 120 km a day commuter who never rarely looks at her crackberry only at stop lights, I am very concerned that the “coolness” factor in mobile technology will overrule common sense. Given how long it took the Kindle to arrive, we may not see this in Canadian cars for a while.

The Canadian Automobile Association has a lovely site on distracted driving laws in Canada.