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Navigator, Detect Passenger
Last year, I drove from California to Pennsylvania. This gave me many miles to ponder what I wanted from my car navigator. . .
Eleven things I wish my built-in car navigator would do:
1) Allow a passenger to direct the navigator even when the car is moving.
We are driving through Iowa. We wish to find a parallel route to avoid road construction. I try to type in an address. “Typing disabled while driving.” What? I’m the passenger. If I were a passenger, with a map, I would be able to look at the map while someone else was driving. Technology should never be WORSE than what it’s replacing!
But, how can I expect the car to know that there is a passenger within reach of the navigator?
Simple!
There is already a detector that determines if the passenger weight is sufficient to make the passenger-side airbag safe to deploy. So, why can’t the built-in navigator use that data to allow a passenger to type while driving?
2) Let me choose the scenic route.
I’ve seen navigators allow you to avoid traffic, avoid highways, and avoid off-road paths. But what if I’m sightseeing, and I want to take the route along the river, the lake, the forest, the ocean ? What if I need a break from the highway, and I want to experience nearby towns?
3) Let me choose a Cautious Driver mode. For example, steer me to left turns only where there are left-turn signals.
Seriously, I will drive an extra mile to get a left-turn signal. I'm the person in front of you taking forever to turn left. I would happily drive extra miles to avoid this situation.
4) Allow me to avoid odd intersections (5 ways, roundabouts, etc).
5) Help me to avoid dangerous merges and on-ramps.
There is an on-ramp in Vallejo California onto route 80 that is so short it's amazing there isn't an autobody shop built right on premises. A ramp on the same interstate highway, in Youngstown, Ohio, is long enough to run a 1/2 mile race. Couldn't a navigation system steer you to the experience of your choice? Harrowing (exciting) vs peaceful (boring) ---your choice!
6) Give me a Danger Override mode
As a woman traveling alone, I have accidentally ended up in dead-end streets at night, near warehouses or other empty buildings that looked like the scene of the next Law & Order murder. It felt very unsafe to fully stop my car, but I couldn’t get the navigator to work unless I did. We need a Danger Override mode to allow input into navigation if your voice system is not accurate (or doesn't understand an anxious voice) and you don't feel safe pulling over to stop.
7) Make it easier for me to save an interesting path that I want to drive again, or to share a route with others. I can save destinations. Why can’t I save routes?
8) Give me an option to continuously update the maps and user interface, rather than requiring me to order a disk and install it myself. This is a satellite, correct?
9) Give me an option to choose the types of restaurants I never want to see in my search, and the types I do want to see. If I’m into cheap eats, show me cheap eats. If I want to only see Italian food, show me only Italian food. Every time, until I change it.
10) Let me explain the type of trip this is:
Business
Vacation
Errand
Local
Non-local unique trip (shopping at outlets? going to a NASCAR race, concert, sporting event?)
Move
11) Customize the route to reflect whom I am traveling with:
Traveling with Child
Traveling with Teen
Traveling with Pets
Traveling with Someone with a Health Condition
Map my drive and search options accordingly, and allow me to easily find playgrounds, rest stops, etc, depending on these choices. If I know we'll need a rest stop every 90 minutes, suggest a suitable one as needed. Send me the gentlest route if I'm driving someone who isn't feeling well . . . find the nearest dog park if I'm traveling with my best friends.
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