Are automakers going too far with in-car technology?

Adam Tuss, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – Fancy navigation and audio systems are now standard on most new cars, but the vast majority of car owners say automakers are going too far with all the bells and whistles.

According to a Harris poll, 76 percent of car owners say in-car connectivity technologies are too distracting — and even dangerous.

However, now the hard question. Could you live without that technology? More than half of car owners in the same poll say in-car connectivity makes driving more enjoyable and makes them feel safer while on the road.

Another finding from the poll, men enjoy the in-car technology (64 percent) more than women (53 percent).

Sixty two percent say they worry about how technology may interfere with their privacy. And, 41 percent think their insurance rates could go up with what the in- car technology finds out about their driving habits.

The poll surveyed 2,634 U.S. adults online between May 7 and May 15. Harris does not offer a margin of error on the poll because it says all surveys and polls are subject to multiple sources of error that are not possible to quantify or estimate.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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