told me earlier this month.
It seems unlikely that Ford forgot to tell Dowd about the effort. The company recently launched a considerable public relations campaign highlight its research in intelligent vehicles, which it claimed could help prevent the very accidents Dowd wrote about.
Ford’s smart cars are equipped with sensors and cameras can alert drivers to nearby accidents, or signal if they risk colliding with another vehicle at an intersection.
Dowd, a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, even begins her piece about nearly crashing a car into the back of a truck in Ford simulator because she takes her eyes off the road for two seconds.
Dowd also interviewed Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, whose agency is spearheading IntelliDrive. The agency, in corporation with Ford and other automakers, wants to build high tech infrastructure across the country that allows cars to “communicate” with roads, highways, and bridges, exchanging information on traffic patterns, road conditions, and weather. But again, no mention in Dowd’s column.
Dowd contends that Ford’s gizmos will enable drivers to drive distracted more than they already do.
“Given that…we’re talking about human beings who live in an A.D.D. world, wouldn’t it be safer to try to curb the addiction, rather than indulging it?” she writes.
It’s a fair concern. I asked a similar question of Ford’s Shulman and his answer was less than inspiring.
“We have not seen that in the data,” he said.
The carmaker faces a complex challenge. It wants to integrate popular consumer devices into its products. At the same time, the company wants to promote its efforts to mitigate distracted driving caused by those devices.
Judging by Dowd’s column, Ford has a lot of work to do.
