Edwards, A. D. N. (1998). Surfing and driving don't mix. Interactions 5(3) (May/June): p. 80.
The kind of crash that most computer users fear is the one which happens when their computer breaks down. The resultant loss of data can be frustrating and annoying, but no one ever dies as a result. However, imagine the consequences of people accessing the World Wide Web while driving their cars. This is not a joke; manufactures are on the point of releasing in-car, speech-based Web browsers.
How dangerous can that be? We are all aware that there are dangers associated with using mobile phones while driving, yet most people are probably unaware of the magnitude of that problem. A recent study Redelmeier and Tibshirani, 1997 demonstrated that using a phone while driving increases the chances of having an accident to the same levels as if the driver had been drinking. A further surprise in that experiment was that it makes little difference if the phone is of a hands-free design. It seems that the danger is entailed more by the fact that the user's attention is diverted from the driving task than anything to do with the mechanics of holding a phone and a steering wheel.
Using computers is an absorbing activity. That is the source of much of the amusement we derive from using them - which is fine as long as that is all one is doing at the time. If people are to start doing at the same time as they are supposed to be controlling a car, then disasters will result.
Responsible drivers pull over and park while they use their phones. No doubt manufacturers of in-car Web browsers will entreat their customers to do the same - but how many will do so? Assertions that listening to a Web page is no more distracting that listening to talk radio are simply wrong. A radio program lasts half-an-hour; a Web page might last a minute or two. Anyway, the very design of Web pages is intended to be interactive. Few are read from start to finish; as soon as you encounter an interesting link, you pres on it. How long will it be before the first person dies watching an animated GIF?
In-car Internet interfaces may seem an inevitable development. There is an old argument that 'If we don't invent it someone else will' but I really think this is one product which designers and manufacturers should walk away from, on ethical grounds.
Redelmeier, D. D. and Tibshirani, R. J. (1997). Association between cellular-telephone calls and motor vehicle collisions. New England Journal of Medicine 336(7): pp. 453-458.