Recent transportation studies show that Americans spend an average of 540 hours in their cars each year. Consumers are demanding more computing flexibility in their cars, and automakers are preparing to give them that flexibility. Telematics is viewed as one of the biggest growth areas in the auto industry today. Manufacturers predict sales of advanced telematics systems in more than two million vehicles in 2001. General Motors' OnStar system and DaimlerChrysler's Tele Aid are already offering consumers navigation and emergency assistance services in the form of fixed, in-vehicle installations.
Automakers are still fine-tuning other features and determining the best configurations.
While consumers and automakers are anxious to start rolling with telematics, government regulation is likely to give this technology the yellow caution light, for safety reasons. Studies have shown that 60-80 percent of cellular phone calls are made from vehicles. Safety analysts fear that the addition of more in-vehicle gizmos has the potential of taking the driver's attention from the road. A recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute shows that using a cell phone or leaning over to place a CD in the player makes a driver six times more likely to have an accident than glancing at the vehicle's instruments. The U.S. Department of Transportation study promotes in-vehicle devices that can warn drivers of dangerous situations, recommend actions or even assume partial control to avoid accidents.