As if talking and texting on cell phones wasn’t enough of a distraction to drivers these days, car companies are now installing computers right in the front seat, according to a recent piece in The New York Times. Apparently Intel and Google are working with numerous automakers in hopes of fattening their bottom lines (even more!).

The first wave of these “infotainment systems,” as the tech and car industries call them, will hit the market this year. While built-in navigation features were once costly options, the new systems are likely to be standard equipment in a wide range of cars before long.

As you could imagine, safety advocates are up in arms about this innovative, but potentially deadly, car equipment. Recent research has shown that texting while driving is extremely dangerous. We ran a column in our October issue highlighting this topic. In it, we referenced a study by the Virginia Tech Trasportation Institute, which found that texting takes a driver’s eyes off the road for 4.6 seconds, long enough to blindly travel the length of a football field at 55 mph.

If that’s true for texting, imagine what happens when you add in surfing the web while driving. With a cell phone in one hand and the other hand on the dashboard computer screen, it seems maneuvering a 2-ton piece of metal may be the actual distraction to some drivers. The New York Times again states:

One system on the way this fall from Audi lets drivers pull up information as they drive. Heading to Madison Square Garden for a basketball game? Pop down the touch pad, finger-scribble the word “Knicks” and get a Wikipedia entry on the arena, photos and reviews of nearby restaurants, and animations of the ways to get there.

Wow. This makes me thankful that I don’t own a car and therefore don’t drive, opting instead to take NYC mass transit or walk. But this is a threat not only to other drivers, but to pedestrians as well. That’s it, I’m never leaving my apartment.

In all seriousness though, the idea of computers on car dashboards will surely attract massive backlash from the car insurance industry, just as texting while driving has. In fact, the following states have completely outlawed texting while driving:

1. Alaska
2. Arkansas
3. California
4. Colorado
5. Connecticut
6. D.C.
7. Guam
8. Illinois
9. Louisiana
10. Maryland
11. Minnesota
12. New Hampshire
13. New Jersey
14. New York
15. North Carolina
16. Oregon
17. Rhode Island
18. Tennessee
19. Utah
20. Virginia
21. Washington

I keep an eye on this lengthy list and to me, it seems there’s a new state added every other week. I wouldn’t be surprised to see, at some point soon, some type of ban against the use of computers while driving, at least if safety advocates and car insurance companies have their say. What do you think? Computers in cars — good idea or death wish?