The Mercedes-Benz is one luxury vehicle that shows the world you “have arrived” at your station in life, but there is a new feature introduced in the upcoming SL class models that has gained its fair share of detractors – as it enables the driver to update their Facebook status despite being behind the wheel. Mercedes intends for this new system to enable one to update their friends or business associates with their current location as they drive towards a meeting or a working lunch date, which means there is no more legitimacy in the “I’m pulling up at the building right now!” when you have just left your garage. While you are not allowed to post up lengthy status updates at the wheel, pressing a button will see an update posted automatically, letting everyone in your Facebook circle know of your current location. Mercedes thinks that this is not a distraction, considering how many other buttons you push in a car each day like the radio, for example.
According to Road Safety GB chairman Alan Kennedy, “It is inconceivable that a major manufacturer such as Mercedes would even contemplate allowing such a system to be fitted to their vehicles. The biggest and most obvious worry is, of course, distraction.No matter how driver friendly the system is, I fear we will see an increase in the number of Mercedes cars wrapped around trees, pedestrians and cyclists. This is something the road safety profession must resist.”
What do you think of Alan’s viewpoint? Do you agree or not? I personally do not think there is a need to update your current location. Don’t you feel as though punctuality is no longer sacred with the advent of smartphones and mobile communication devices? Back in the day, when we made an appointment, we stuck to it, often being there earlier than the appointed time as a mark of responsibility and respect. These days, plans change on the fly simply because of the mobile phone, not to mention a decline in punctuality.
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