I recently had a new audio system installed in my nine-year-old car because the old one had stopped doing some of the things it was supposed to, like connecting phone calls and playing bluetooth audio. The new device in my dashboard allows me the pleasure of using Apple CarPlay, which displays maps and other info that, in the past, I could only see if I wedged my iPhone in front of the tachometer behind the steering wheel.
What I don’t like about this new device is the warning it posts every time I start the car:
Operating this product while driving could be distracting or dangerous if not done in a careful manner. When operating this product the driver’s priority should be focused on obeying all traffic rules. You assume all risk of using this product.
The wording sounds like it comes directly from a corporate attorney’s laptop, in the hopes of preempting litigation from anyone involved in an accident while the device is in use. I don’t know if, legally, it gives the company an out, but I do know one thing: it’s annoying to see every time I turn it on.
On the screen, under the warning, there’s an option to have the device “Automatically remove this message after 10 seconds.” I have checked that box, and it works, but I wish there were another option: “I own this vehicle and drive it every day, so I have repeatedly seen the legalese that normally appears on this screen. I fully acknowledge the risk of distracted driving and won’t change my habits regardless of how much you nag me. Now I’d like to never see that warning again.”