Road safety campaigners in the UK have expressed their dismay over Mercedes-Benz’s new Mbrace 2 sat-nav system, which allows drivers to update their Facebook location while behind the wheel.
The sat-nav system will be part of the automaker’s upcoming SL class vehicles later this year but has evoked the rage of Road Safety GB.
“It is inconceivable that a major manufacturer such as Mercedes would even contemplate allowing such a system to be fitted to their vehicles,” the group’s chairman Alan Kennedy told the Daily Mail.
“The biggest and most obvious worry is, of course, distraction. No matter how driver friendly the system is, I fear we will see an increase in the number of Mercedes cars wrapped around trees, pedestrians and cyclists. This is something the road safety profession must resist.”
However, a spokesman for Mercedes-Benz UK spokesman, Rob Halloway, has said that the system complies with Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers safety guidelines.
“The Facebook app will only be able to send information about the vehicle, such as its current location or navigation system destination. It is basic functionality. You can only use the internet when you are parked,” he said.
”Mercedes-Benz is absolutely committed to safety. It is our number one priority.” Thank God for that, as only a monster would ever check their Facebook app while stuck in traffic.
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