European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Gridlock continued from Page 13 Quot significantly More hazardous Quot than gazing Down to tune a radio. Quot attention is a limited resource. You can Only spread it out so far before you Start missing things Quot said Fred Owens a psychologist specializing in human perception and traffic safety at Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania. Quot As a general principle that s Why i m concerned when a Driver s world becomes even More complicated than it already is.�?�. Generally undaunted by such warnings 1 commuters have continued to splurge on a plethora of products and marketeers have leaped at the Opportunity to Supply them. Nationwide outfits like the sharper image Are stuffing their catalogues with goodies for motorists while mavens of the High end Gadget Market at Beverly Hills motoring accessories have increasingly shifted their product lines to capture the commuter. Recently an Emeryville calif., company a commuter products distributed a 24-Page Catalon nationally featuring nothing but items aimed at commuters. Quot a lot of people commuting in cars wish they could do something besides just driving Quot said the company s president Mabel Yee. Yee who predicts her company will be recording $200 million in annual sales within a decade added. Quot people Are trying to replicate their Homes. If you re sitting there in traffic you might As Well make the ride just a Little bit More Bob Johnson a marketing manager for Pacific Bell who has studied the trend toward Auto gadgetry likens it to the nesting phenomenon of smart cars who needs Drivers by Donald j. Frederick National geographic t Here s new Hope for american commuters battling Rush hour traffic jams advanced electronics and computer technology Are creating a new generation of smart cars and highways that promises to make trips easier and safer. They re considered smart because they re designed 1o help make decisions for Drivers. On highways of the future cars poised to enter traffic will Tell Drivers where they Are plot the Best route to a destination and suggest alternatives in Case of congestion. On the open Road new automatic spacing and collision avoidance devices will Speed up or slow Down cars depending on the How of traffic. New navigation systems installed on 25 general motors cars Are being tested on a 12-Mie corridor of los Angeles Santa Monica freeway. Small dashboard mounted computer map consoles show the vehicle s exact locations and warn the Drivers of accidents up ahead or other congestion problems. Voice transmissions from the systems which Are linked to a traffic control Center warn of tie ups so Drivers will be Able to leave the freeway As soon As possible if the California test proves successful 100 vehicles with on Board navigation systems will cruise highways m Florida s Orlando area in Early 1992 later As Many As 1,0cx May it the Road in the m West. P? Ltd the state w in soon have Vav m c y of and arteries can Noctor to and our a Rog on a a vow Oik Young families often referred to As he Calls it Quot it s a social change hat has swept Over the baby Boomers of the nation. They be acquired material goods to build a fortress or Wall to protect themselves from the pressures of the outside world Quot Johnson said. Quot the analysis i be done tells me that people faced with these Long commutes Aro interested in extending that same Typo of environment in heir Homes to their but while the Gadget vendors sell across the nation and in several foreign countries the firms say they reap most of their Revenue from the Golden gridlock of California Quot it seems people on the West coast have a greater interest Quot said Eruce trackway owner of 12 Volt products of Holland pa., a mail order company that specializes in gadgets that plug into a , Quot there s a lot of cars a lot of Long Blackway a company and the other outfits feature an astounding menu of products. There is a doughnut shaped inflatable stereo neck rest that fits around a commuter s neck holding a Road weary head aloft while playing a tune. Also available Are a solar panel that can recharge a dead Battery and a strap on Eye mask that purportedly relieves stress and Strain by massaging the eyeballs it s not recommended for Drivers. Add to the list All sorts of Kitchen devices that can be plugged into a lighter blenders Coffee makers single slice toasters Popcorn makers. Auto Gadget firms also Stock plug in Curling Irons electric shavers even a portable washing machine. And of course for those who want to dive into a Good novel while crawling with freeway traffic there a the burgeoning Quot books on tape Quot Market. In recent years sales of the tapes have exploded creating a $100 million a year Industry that executives say is growing Between 25 percent and 50 percent annually. Systems involved in the tests will be tried out on test vehicles rental cars or in a few selected automobiles owned by High mileage com rulers. Quot if things work out we expect to see smart cars All Over the United states in the late 90s.&Quot says Lyle Saxton a specialist in advanced technology systems for the Federal Highway administration. By then the cars May be even More intelligent. Besides being Able to show you the shortest path Between lao Points that computer in your car will probably offer a lot of other options Quot says stanly k Honey pres Dent of Eta a Menlo Park calif., company that publishes e Ectro hic data for vehicle Nau gation systems Electron c a stems m smart cars we also make tips safer pm Board radar new in the a Fang. W i Back other , we e the computer accelerates or s own Down toe car. Depending on consider for instance a radio con trolled Gizmo that can Start a car from 400 feet away with the flick of a red Button on a Small Black Box. Commuter products corp. Retails it for $329.95. For $379.95, the firm will sell the a press ran electronic signboard that can be set on the rear window panel and programmed with a hand held control to deliver Pithy messages like Quot i m going As fast As i can Quot Quot lets do lunch Quot or even spicier thoughts ,. In car electronics Are big these Days. For the truly adventurous there Ara items like the. Whistler interstate travel computer. This calculator sized device its makers boast can with the touch of a few buttons Ante up a Road Atlas sized list of More than 30,000 Gas stations motels restaurants and Ether services at More than 13,700 exits along every major Highway in1 the Continental United states. Cellular phones mean while have become As ubiquitous a part of the landscape As the fender Bender. There Are about 3 million cellular users nationwide and Market analysts predict that number will explode to 10 million by 1993. Sales of portable fax machines which typically carry a Price tag exceeding $1,000 for the Industry leaders could grow by a hefty 300 percent in the next few years some analysts predict. Quot to be competitive in the 90s, one needs to have these tools Quot said Susan Curtis los Angeles based publisher of Mobile office a Glossy new Magazine for users of portable office devices. Not everyone of course is bullish on such gizmos., Quot so Many of these products seem to be sort of Hula hoop ish Quot said William Tichy a san Francisco financial analyst with Dean Witter Reynolds inc. Quot i think a lot of them Are More faddish than real. The Cost to Benefit is relatively poor so these gadgets Aren t Worth it for a lot of the position of the vehicle ahead. If the distance to another car were dosing too rapidly the system would Alert the Driver and if no action were taken braking would occur and even Stop the vehicle to avoid a collision unless overridden by the Driver. Another radar device in the planning stage would honk a warning if there s a car in a Blind spot when a Driver tries to change lanes. Smart cars will listen too. Quot Drivers will be Able to give commands to almost anything in the car Quot says j r. Wallace. Ford s director of electronic systems research. Drivers themselves could get an earful if cars a think they re misbehaving. Quot within the next 10 years Denver impairment devices could be Standard equipment Quot says Wallace. Quot if someone were impaired by drugs Lack of sleep or alcohol the veh c e would pick up the erratic wheel movements and Tell the Driver to get off the downtown Detroit appears through the Windshield of e car equipped with a navigation system. In ,,
