Letters to the Editor: We’re selling cars with giant touchscreens. No wonder road deaths are up
To the editor: It’s not just our phones that are making driving more dangerous. Look at the cars — many now come with computer screens on the dashboard. The ones in Teslas are particularly large. (“Highways are getting deadlier, with fatalities up 22%. Our smartphone addiction is a big reason why”)
Whereas before I could keep my eyes on the road while changing the radio channel or climate control by the feel of a particular button or knob, I now have to be looking at the screen to find the exact spot to touch.
It was just about six weeks ago when my car was broadsided by a driver in a Tesla as he was pulling out of his condo complex. He was looking down and slightly to his right, and he proceeded to roll right into me. Now my car is in the shop getting two new passenger side doors.
Did anybody think this would be a bad idea? Controlling so many functions in our car by a touchscreen? There will be more and more accidents, and it won’t just be because of the phones.
Terri Fox, Torrance
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To the editor: I agree that driving while using a phone has gotten out of hand. The fast lane has become the phone lane.
When I was visiting the British Isles including Ireland last year, my cousin said to make sure I wasn’t using my phone while driving when I call. I was told I would get the equivalent of a drunk driving fine if caught.
On motorways there are areas to pull over to use phones. If there is a program on the radio soliciting calls, they say pull over where it is safe to use the phone.
This all works great. Keep it simple, stupid.
Jim Curwood, Capistrano Beach
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To the editor: As accident records show, phone usage by drivers is a significant cause of serious injuries and death on our roads. However, some blame belongs with the car makers themselves.
While shopping for an electric car recently, I was appalled at the number of basic and optional items available that tempt drivers to take their attention off the act of driving. Nearly every make of car today comes equipped with “infotainment” centers designed to enrich the driving experience in ways that an astronaut might find confusing.
Just as Neil Postman warned us in his brilliant 1985 book, “Amusing Ourselves to Death,” we now seek ever faster and louder input from all the devices in our homes, our cars and our pockets. Walt Kelly was correct: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Philip DiGiacomo, Ojai
