Car Manufacturers: The distracted drivers friend or enemy?

We all know about the distracted driver. The texter, eater, phone using driver.

We are probably all guilty at one time or another, even the driver who is too involved in the song, audio book or a thought about that little snippy argument you had with your spouse as you were leaving the house at 6am (My opinion, in case you are curious, is that no fight between 11 pm and 7 pm should count, really save those for traditional working hours).

Okay, I will get to the point.

Now the U.S. Department of Transportation wants to get into the act. The DOT
"announced voluntary guidelines to "encourage automobile manufacturers to limit the distraction risk for in-vehicle electronic devices." The guidelines cover communication, entertainment, information gathering and navigation devices that are not necessary for the safe operations of a vehicle by the driver."

Here is an interesting blog post on the topic.

So will the car companies listen? Will you heed the warning?

Last year Volkswagen said their cars were rolling computers. We know the other car manufacturers are rushing to add music, wifi and all sorts of bells and whistles to your next car. Do you really need all of that in your car? Can you just use all those bells and whistles when you are in park or is the inevitable going to happen.

DOTs proposal has no teeth (read that no fines to car manufacturers) in it yet. Its also important to note that President Obama's FY 2013 budget request includes some $330 million over the next six years to fund distracted driving programs (read that lots of commercials). Is there not a better use of $330 million dollars!!!

Again, we miss the logical point. Lets all keep our eyes on the road, admit we do not need a car that is a rolling computer (you have your smartphone) and save $330 million dollars that we could use for something more prudent.

Happy trails!

Found: $200 Million Dollars!

So this is the stuff that keeps me up at night!

It's a total disregard for logic.

It turns out that pennines and nickels, cost more to manufacturer than they are worth. Yup, to a tune of $1,000,000 per year, per coin.

Come on! Do we need pennies and nickels?

Read the story here

and even worse, if that's possible, we have the solution...

"Treasury estimates the halt in production of the coins will save about $50 million a year." because we have 1.4 billion surplus presidential dollar coins sitting in bank vaults waiting to be circulated.

Really!!!

Come on, we could spend that $200,000,000 on education, jobs for the troops, anything but wasting it.

Courage

So a dear friend of mine posted this on Facebook this morning.

Sometimes all you need is 10 seconds of insane courage to change your life.
-Erin Shell Anthony

It just struck me as incredibly true. We need courage to change things. To submit to the fact that things are not the way they should be, and that we are capable of changing them. Its an easy thought to have but a difficult action to take.

I am sure after Corbett outlines his budget for 2012 - 2013, there will be plenty I will want to change. I am going to remain hopeful until then and pray that Public Education escapes his knife, as after last year further cuts would be incredibly devastating. I am also going to keep hoping that folks start to understand that negative environmental impact of drilling for Natural Gas in our state and that when gas is in your water its not good (clearly a missing logic chip).

My 10 seconds is calling me, will I answer the call and help?