More High Tech Invitations to Take Your Mind Off Road

Drivers have never had so many distractions tempting them to take their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel. Talking on cellphones and typing text messages while driving has already led to bans in many states. But now auto companies, likening their latest models to living rooms on the road, are turning cars into cocoons of communication systems and high-tech entertainment.

Some drivers are packing their car interiors with G.P.S. navigation screens, portable DVD players and even computer keyboards and printers.

State Senator Carl L. Marcellino of New York learned this firsthand while riding in a cab in Miami — the driver was watching a boxing match on a television mounted on the dashboard.

"I can understand a monitor in the rear, but up front it is a different world," said Mr. Marcellino, who sponsored a bill last year to ban all "display generating devices" in...

Last Update on : February 12, 2008   

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