The value of hands-free products is increasing. More than 20 states have legislation pending to severely restrict or prohibit the use of handheld cell phones while driving. There are many crucial issues that must be resolved before telematics catches on in a big way. I'm expecting product-liability suits. In lawsuits, it's usually the company with the deepest pockets.
Distractions can cause problems at high speeds.
Korevesis says a car moving at 60 miles an hour travels 88 feet per second, and 0.75 to 1.5 seconds can elapse while a driver perceives and reacts to an event. He urged the industry to support some regulation to ensure that telematics systems don't overload a driver. There also are major applications of telematics outside the consumer market, ones that require little or no driver interaction. Fleet-management systems, for example, let fleet operators manage vehicles from a central location. While such systems aren't new, they're being improved to provide greater control and capabilities.