While I totally agree with the Ipod or Pokeman or texting while driving. We can answer the phone with a thumb. In order for there to be no distractions, you’d have to remove GPS, radios, adjustments to AC/Heat, all those new menus that tell you fuel radius, tire pressure, oil or engine lights, etc too.
What needs to be added are side view cameras along with rear view ones, and warning horns in your vehicle when some one is in your blind zone even if you have 1 of those little circles that is supposed to catch the blind zone, there is still one even in cars and vans, not just big rigs.
We were watching the road, going the speed limit, just came threw Base Security, pick up truck behind us came threw after, speeding in the other lane we needed to be in, was in our blind spot, we barely touched. Know where we needed to call to get base security? Pensacola who dispatched the Millington Navy Base security which took nearly 30 mins. Good thing no one was hurt and no real damage. Not even the radio was on in our van. Lord, knows what the other driver was doing, he was going more than the posted 30 mph, said he kept blowing his horn neither of us heard it until split second before slight touch that smudged his paint and broke our mirror off, he should have yielded to our turn signals as he was speeding. Which is a BIG NO on a Military base. YOU don’t even park the wrong direction. There are signs posted all over the base no text or phone use while driving. And it is enforced when Security catches it.
Idiots in Memphis drive eating a bowl of cereal, painting their long nails and reading the newspaper.
I have seen actual people doing the things in your last sentence.
*However*, the studies proved that radios and books on tape did not affect driving ability, significantly.
I assume it’s because they’re not “disembodied voices”.
I have a crap-load of stuff on my Magnum’s console...miles to empty, avg. mpg, system alerts and so much other stuff, I feel like I’m driving the space shuttle, sometimes.
But none of that has ever distracted me at all.
Possibly because they take a millisecond glance and no more and even then, I can still see the road over the dash, quite easily.
I have seen a guy watching a porn movie on the DVD player where his rear view mirror should be...and “reacting” to it.
As far as blind spots go, a Magnum has them *bad*, due to the “chopped top” design of the car.
Luckily, driving a Harley has made me hyper-aware of checking my mirrors, re-checking, lather, rinse, repeat.
:)