Forget talking to strangers, forget burns, forget poisoning. The leading cause of death among kids, all the way from age 1 to 18, is a car accident.
https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/leadingcauses.html
The thing is, almost all of us put our kids in the car, and many of us do it on a daily basis. Whether it’s around the corner to the store, or a long trip for vacation, it’s just something most families need to do.
But one of the most dangerous parts of driving is distraction. We all know that talking on the phone and texting can be dangerous, but even your standard suction-cup-on-the-window handsfree kit can be a major distraction on the road. Reaching over to swipe through your music collection, type in a phone number, or get directions on your favorite Maps app are all super common, even with the best of intentions.
The more I had to use it, the more it felt like disaster waiting to happen. It definitely wasn’t the level of safety I wanted for my family.
The first thought I had was about a new car. You know, a new car with a nav system and a big display on the dash so I could see something at a glance. An interface designed to be used by a busy driver, not one designed to be held twelve inches from your face.
But I hated that idea for two reasons. First, we already had a car we liked. It was a decent size for us, got good gas mileage, and was pretty safe. I didn’t want to have to spend thousands of dollars for one feature.
But even if I was willing to spend that, the design of most car interfaces is pretty terrible:
That’s right, that’s NOT a rejected screen from the original Robocop film, that’s something you’re actually supposed to use while driving. It’s probably actually worse than the phone-on-the-windshield method.
An iPad for the Car?
What I really wanted was an iPad-sized screen on my dashboard, easily within reach. I wanted to use something like Siri to get directions and play music. When I had to push a button, I wanted them to be big and clear, so I could get back to focusing on the road, rather than futzing with menus.
I wanted things to feel familiar, like the phone I use every five minutes. So I found iPad mounts online—maybe they’re the answer:
But if it’s not obvious, there are some potentially-big downsides here.
- This particular mount takes up basically half your view of the road. Not exactly safe.
- We’d need to buy an iPad specifically for the car, and it probably needs to support a data plan. There goes $1000 or so.
- Wouldn’t this be target #1 for thieves?
So maybe it’s an option, but it’s not a great option.
Enter Apple CarPlay
Apple has actually thought about this. Rumor has it that they’re building a car of their own, so they’re obviously working on this sort of problem. Lucky for us, they’ve released Apple CarPlay before the actual Apple Car. (Google has Android Auto too – same gist.)
The idea is that your car stereo gets completely powered by your phone – not just some weird interface to access your music, but the complete view is powered by the phone you carry around all day every day. Even better, the apps get re-formatted so they’re displayed specifically for use while driving – no tiny fonts or tough-to-hit buttons.
Some new cars—notably Chevy, Ford, Hyundai, and VW—have Car Play in their new models. It’s usually an upgrade option, but not as much as a full nav system (though sometimes they require you get the nav system too – lame!).
But, lucky for us again, there are replacement stereos that support Apple CarPlay. Pioneer and Alpine both make them. Since I don’t have a big CD collection (approximately zero), I went with the Alpine iLX-007, which is nothing but a big, beautiful touch screen, a radio, and Apple CarPlay:
I bought it for $500 and installed it myself. It came with a microphone, which I neatly wired up just above my windshield. It also came with a long iPhone cable (you can kinda see it in the bottom right of that photo), which I less-neatly have running out from the leg-area on the passenger side.
It’s not perfect, but it’s BY FAR the best stereo I’ve ever used in a car. Maps is great, I have access to music and podcasts, and can even listen to the game on the MLB app. Siri does a decent job of reading and sending texts and making calls when I need to, and the microphone is great. I even hooked up the steering wheel controls, so they work too when I’m adjusting volume, skipping a track, or invoking Siri.
It looks and works great. When I have guest passengers, they’re blown away by it, and almost always wish they had it in their own cars.
Safety? One Step Closer
I’ve been using CarPlay for over a year now, and have absolutely zero regrets. It’s the best $500 I’ve ever spent on the car.
Again, it’s not perfect, but now I have a clear view of the road, and a really great interface at my fingertips (or voice). I’m way less distracted than I used to be, and actually find that I’m more relaxed.
In fact, when we went new car shopping not too long ago, we decided not to get anything, since it felt like most new cars (without CarPlay) would actually be a downgrade from what we already have.
So if you’re shopping for a new car, it’s worth keeping an eye out for Apple CarPlay (or Android Auto) support. And if you’re not, maybe it’s worth a little upgrade?
It’s all for the kids, in the name of safety, of course.
