MOTORING CORNER : Car accessories

In the recent past, of in-car entertainment devices that has become available for the motorist. A few years ago it would have been unthinkable to have a DVD player fitted in the car, now on some vehicles it comes as standard, and may be, for a few more dollars, you can get a games console such as a Play station 2 built in as well. However, it’s important to remember that as technology improves, the driver of the car still has the most important job to do - and that means that they must not give into temptation and start to get distracted by watching a TV screen in the rear-view mirror, or rummaging around with an MP3 player. All these extras can be good but they do increase the risk of the driver loosing concentration or being distracted as he does his work. The cars with simple radios and cassette players are numbered or gone, now a car doesn’t seem to be a car unless it’s got a state of the art stereo system, like the SONY XPLOD system, complete with the amplifier and subwoofers. Such systems may be very complex may require more attention to operate, especially if the driver is moving fast or along a very busy road network. Some more affluent cars come with Car Music Systems that comprise of CD or MP3 and MP4 players. A few years ago, having a CD player in your car was rather remarkable. Now it is normal occurrence to have your fitted with a good audio system that may cost as much as US dollars four hundred or even more. Of course, in recent years, the introduction of MP3 players has thrown a whole new arena of entertainment open for the motorist dedicated to music. You can download music onto your MP3 player and connect everything wirelessly via the Bluetooth or plug in a Flash Disk, that is how you can play the music through your car audio system without the need for cables or adapters. What is for sure though is the fact that whatever system you go for, you can changes CD’s or songs quickly and safely. And don’t have your music so loud that it distracts you, or frightens others who are driving close to you or else you could be charged for being a road nuisance. Satellite Navigation Systems – These have become part and parcel of many drivers in the developed world (Japan, America and Europe) and other countries like the Republic of South Africa. Here, there is no longer the need to master the road network. The gurus have designed the road maps, thank to the USA GPS (Global Positioning System), one is able to locate any road on such map. Such gadgets are what are known as the Satellite Navigation system. These can range from as little piece of software purchased and downloaded onto a mobile phone or PDA through to fully fledged portable units that can be moved from car to car, right up to the expensive versions that can pinpoint your route down to the last details while you’re driving along. These are great if you want to get from point A to B in the shortest time, and can save you a lot of bother on the roads if you travel a lot.Are We There Yet? A DVD player built into a car? There seems to be a growing market for people who are willing to dig deeper into their pockets for a built in DVD player and headphones, to keep their dear passengers quiet on long journeys. No longer the posh footballer or movie star’s perk, these extras are now finding themselves onto more affordable family vehicles, for the average family to utilise and enjoy. Most of the luxury car models come fitted with at least one model that includes these TV/DVD screens and they will become more inexpensive the more companies begin to include them. This can only be a good thing because tired, bored and cantankerous passengers can cause discomfort on a long drive, and can stress the driver, making the journey far more treacherous than it needs to be. motoringcorner@live.co.uk

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MOTORING CORNER : Car accessories