Mulally's Misleading Comments On Car-Based WiFi

I happened to catch Alan Mulally's appearance on CNBC last week, just after he also presented or was interviewed at the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital conference.

Mulally made a huge deal out of Ford being the leader in placing online applications into vehicles. I can't swear I recall all of the features he mentioned, but the network's program co-anchors were aghast at all of the distracting activities Mulally assured viewers were available in new Ford cars.

When challenged on how dangerous these non-driving activities would be, the Ford CEO kept intoning, like some sort of mantra,

'eyes on the road, hands on the wheel'

He then assured the co-anchors that at least key applications were voice-activated, so everything was perfectly safe.

Then Erin Burnett, one of the CNBC co-anchors, mentioned the research which I, too, have read, concluding that simply talking on a cell phone, rather than with another occupant of a vehicle, while driving, took one's attention off the road and out of the car.

Mulally punted on that one, admitting the research was true, but essentially saying that it was still safe to use Ford's on-board online apps while driving.

This is nonsense. Mulally is clearly skirting a very serious and potentially lethal issue.

First, like the failure of government regulators to catch the budding housing finance bubble in time, the DOT is apparently asleep at the wheel, pun intended, on this issue, as well.

Where is the governmental machinery to make Ford prove it's internet doo-dads placed within reach of a driver won't cause drivers and passengers in other cars to become casualties?

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that young, inexperienced drivers are going to be caught up in these conveniences and take out other vehicles as they busy themselves with texting their friends or Googling God knows what while driving.

We all know someone who has, or nearly has wrecked a car while trying to operate a complicated sound system in a car. Or have watched some youth or adult on a cell phone either hold up traffic while they talk, or cut into traffic and nearly hit another vehicle as they concentrate on their call.

We need less distractions in cars, not more.

Mulally's and Ford's irresponsible attempt to capture the image of a high-technology, forward-looking, internet-vehicle equipped car maker is going to end badly.

I was very disappointed to watch Mulally try to duck, evade and deny the obvious danger that his company's new on-board internet toys will bring to driving.