Florida is often visited by drivers who are eager to take in the warm sunshine during the winter months, and these visitors are not always used to our highways and byways. Gainesville motorists want to feel some peace of mind when taking to the roads. It is important to know that your fellow drivers on local roads and interstate highways aren't being distracted by the gadgets on their auto dashboards.

According to a new AP article, the dashboards in newer autos have displays that have the potential to divert the vehicle operator's attention from the road. The concerned driver might ask: Why would a driver need these things in plain sight while driving? Distracted drivers cause car accidents.

Examples of distractions are consoles that show text messages, images from the global positioning system (GPS), phone calls, and Internet web browsers. These distractions aren't including drivers adjusting the radio controls or other standard vehicle bells and whistles.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the number of drivers who are texting while driving rose by 50 percent in 2010. That means many more drivers are not watching the road.

It might not surprise readers that vehicles commonly equipped with these display features are the more expensive vehicles in the market. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offers a potential solution. One recommendation is that vehicle manufacturers create dashboards in which distracting gadgets do not work unless the motor vehicle is not moving and the transmission is in park.

While it is understandable that a driver wants to be connected to others while on the road, this kind of social connectivity could be the cause of preventable auto accidents.

Source: Gainesville.com, "Curb the car dashboard technology, government asks," Feb. 16, 2012