by Wallace Wyss –
A new Mercedes EQS SUV lets front passengers watch video while the car is moving. It features the brand’s dash-spanning display that will make more attractive the benefits of autonomous driving, when it is green-lighted. When that happens, we can
all sit back and watch TV while the vehicle is under way.
Though that moment is still years away from happening, Mercedes is already pushing the envelope by making TV visible by the passenger in the front seat in the new EQS SUV.
Is this really a good idea?
The new all-electric model, the third to ride on the company’s dedicated EV architecture, will boast a huge 56-inch MBUX Hyperscreen. The plan is for part of that screen, the 12.3-inch OLED display in front of the passenger, to be allowed to stream video while the SUV is under way. The rules are the passengers will have to wear headphones to avoid distracting the driver, but Mercedes will also employ a second safeguard to guarantee the driver is paying attention only to driving–the passenger screen will dim if it catches the driver trying to look at it, using the driver monitoring system to track their eyes.
While it sounds all new, watching videos while moving is already possible in the Grand Wagoneer and Grand Cherokee. Mercedes could well expand this capability to other models, like the EQS sedan, but hasn’t announced that they intend to do so.
The EQS SUV will also feature a Dolby Atmos sound system. While this all sounds like great fun for the front seat passenger, not too sure if the rear seat passengers will have their own screens. But on the face of it, I think it will be too tempting for the driver. I don’t think the passenger will use earphones and the sounds emanating from the screen will be so alluring the driver will just have to have a peek–just when a 50,000 lb. tractor trailer is running the light at the next intersection.
If Mercedes doesn’t make this system bulletproof, there’s going to be trouble – accidents and lawsuits.
What do you think?
Let us know what you think in the Comments.
THE AUTHOR: Wallace Wyss is co-host of Autotalk, a radio show broadcast weekly from KUCR FM Riverside.
Another bad idea now scrapped
Tesla’s Passenger Play feature once allowed games to be played on its touchscreen while the car was in motion.
After an investigation by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Tesla agreed to disable this feature.
Mike Gulett, Editor
I read about study several years ago that seemed to show that drivers can handle watching TV while driving. It’s not like a cel phone where you have to be focused on understanding a conversation and responding.