The internet and your car may not have always went hand in hand, but it’s a different story today. Practically every car lately seems to have some type of Bluetooth capabilities, with some now including Hot Spot capabilities — turning your car into its own medium to access the internet.
The internet and Your Car
Soon, driving will be optional, perhaps even obsolete, with the coming autonomous vehicles. So, what else should you know about how this is all going to shake down? Find out the key pros and cons about keeping your driving skills up to par amongst the virtual distractions and pleasures that are found in cars today.
Pro: Fun
Having internet in the car just makes driving delays and time on the road more fun. There’s more to do, more to see, and more to show people. Passengers can load up practically anything they want in no time. And while this can lead to more arguments about which podcast to listen to or YouTube video to play in the background, there’s no doubt that the internet will bring a lot of excitement to the driving experience.
Con: Hacks
Unfortunately, the more your car is controlled by computers, the more likely it is to be hacked. If your information (e.g., credit card numbers, demographic data, etc.) is located somewhere in your car’s system in the future, then that will make it attractive to hackers everywhere. Of course, that’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of how a hacker could threaten someone with full or even partial control of a car.
Vehicles have already been hacked into, and it’s certainly something to keep an eye on as time goes by. This shouldn’t make you scared of driving your car, but there’s no telling how this type of technology will be exploited by criminals. You should also consider the pros and cons of manual vs. automatic transmission.
Pro: Safety
Being able to contact people from even the most remote spots of the country is always going to make you safer when you’re on the road. Batteries die, tires blow out, and people get sick regardless of where they are. As technology gets better, there are fewer and fewer chances that these emergencies will end in tragedy.
Parents especially can feel better about sending out young drivers because they can track them wherever they go. Cars now even come with certain alerts given to parents about when a driver goes over a certain speed or does anything particularly risky on the road.
Con: Distractions
No matter how ‘hands-free’ a device claims to be, so far that seems like a bit of a myth. People do things with their hands when they’re on the road besides keeping them at 10 and 2, and there’s little anyone can do to stop it. Whether it’s putting on make-up, dancing, or using fingers to gesture at another driver, we don’t necessarily need anything else to mess around with. So, all the safety benefits you get from tracking features can be easily canceled out.
When the internet meets your car, there’s a lot that can happen. Many of these developments are great, but there are a few things to be cautious of. Being safe on the road should always be your number one priority, regardless of the internet capabilities within it.
A traffic school or defensive driving class may not sound like the most high-tech way to learn, but they can make you more aware of techniques to use to become a better driver. They also can help you shave points off your driver’s license, and possible even bring down your insurance premium. 🙂
