Yes, this post is not strictly for parents of teen driving, though it does fit with my ongoing concern, shared of course by many others, that in-vehicle, dashboard mounted electronics are on occasion getting entirely out of hand, and this can have an impact on both parents as role models and teens who follow their lead.

So, I noted recently, in an article written for the Tribune Newspapers by Paresh Dave, entitled “Useful versus wasteful,” highlighting two new pieces of equipment presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show: a “bidirectional camera that sits atop or within the panel behind the steering wheel,” and a “photo gallery app” for a dashboard mounted screen.

To which I can only ask: Really? As always, my position is not that we should ban in-vehicle electronics, but that they should be limited to those that help with driving, navigation and safety; they should be simple to use; and every step should be taken to ensure that they are used only when the car is stationary. These two new gadgets don’t meet any part of this test.