Lawmakers are still trying to do everything possible to stop people texting while driving. It's proving an uphill battle to break people of the habit, though, and cars are now being equipped with technology to let you keep texting with both hands on the wheel. Sort of like a nicotine patch for texting while driving.
Text-To-Voice is a new system being shown off on the 2014 Chevrolet Malibu, a car people may find extremely familiar but different somehow. It's a lot like the 2013 model, only it's been made to look more... new.
It sounds a lot like other automated texting systems in cars, but Text-To-Voice is the biggest thing Chevy is promoting in this new Malibu, even more than the car's extra 1.5 inches of legroom. The system uses the MyLink system for most smartphones, except for the iPhone which connects to the car using Siri. You can listen to texts while driving and then respond to them using canned messages you preset while the car is stationary.
So the best feature on the 2014 Malibu apparently is this thing that allows you to keep texting your friends while driving. It's as if they forgot the Malibu was a car with a steering wheel and pedals that requires a human to operate them. And, like all voice activation systems out there, I'm sure telling Siri what to tell the Malibu to text requires practically no attention. Right up until the point you go off the road because you were yelling at your car.
But if you think driving is like the fourth or fifth most important thing to do while behind the wheel, here you go.
More photos and info in the press release.
Photo: GM