Alarmist
Volvo seems pretty excited about the latest sedan that they've made. Nathalie and I noticed that a Volvo ad came on TV pretty much during every commercial break* touting their many new and advanced safety mechanisms.
But what is odd about this new Volvo is that the S80 also includes several safety mechanisms that are completely needless if you just practice safe driving skills.
Example: For people that actually turn their head to make sure the blind-spot is clear before changing lanes will never need the "Blind Spot Information System", a little red light that goes off when someone in the blind spot is about to get creamed by your car.
Or, people that actually pay attention to the road when they're driving, instead of playing with their iPod or trying to multi-task, won't need a bunch of LED lights and alarms that go off when you're about to rear-end the car in front of you.
Is this supposed to help prevent accidents? Or does it simply encourage absent-minded driving, giving the driver a false sense of security that they are somehow accident proof?
Yet most interestingly of all was the heartbeat monitor. A microphone embedded in the interior of the car that is so sensitive that it can hear the heartbeat of a potential rapist/killer/burglar hiding in your car. The car will alert you remotely and you can call the cops. Thus preventing your demise as you approach your car that you foolishly parked in a dark parking lot far away from other cars.
Me: That's a strange security measure...
Nathalie: Well, why is such an expensive luxury car so easy to break into in the first place? Maybe Volvo should concentrate more on making it difficult for someone to break into the car instead of stupid detectors...
But what is odd about this new Volvo is that the S80 also includes several safety mechanisms that are completely needless if you just practice safe driving skills.
Example: For people that actually turn their head to make sure the blind-spot is clear before changing lanes will never need the "Blind Spot Information System", a little red light that goes off when someone in the blind spot is about to get creamed by your car.
Or, people that actually pay attention to the road when they're driving, instead of playing with their iPod or trying to multi-task, won't need a bunch of LED lights and alarms that go off when you're about to rear-end the car in front of you.
Is this supposed to help prevent accidents? Or does it simply encourage absent-minded driving, giving the driver a false sense of security that they are somehow accident proof?
Yet most interestingly of all was the heartbeat monitor. A microphone embedded in the interior of the car that is so sensitive that it can hear the heartbeat of a potential rapist/killer/burglar hiding in your car. The car will alert you remotely and you can call the cops. Thus preventing your demise as you approach your car that you foolishly parked in a dark parking lot far away from other cars.
Me: That's a strange security measure...
Nathalie: Well, why is such an expensive luxury car so easy to break into in the first place? Maybe Volvo should concentrate more on making it difficult for someone to break into the car instead of stupid detectors...
* Mental note: must look into getting Tivo.
posted by THW at 9:11 AM
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