If you travel a lot, driving can become boring and so some accessories and gadgets are designed to alleviate that boredom although they should never distract the driver’s attention from the primary job in hand, which is getting safely from A to B. I have listed a couple of the most prevalent, non attention-diverting accessories and gadgets below so that you can see how many of them you already possess.
The number one, all-time favourite is the car radio, although this was long ago upgraded to the car CD , DVD or even MP3 player. Few drivers would be without their car stereo. The car stereo can be a very functional tool too, because you can regulate it so that, even if you are playing CD’s, the radio will cut in if there is a significant road traffic announcement that will or could have an effect on you. This can be invaluable information, particularly if you do not have the next item.
The next most popular modern gadget is satellite navigation, often called sat nav or GPS, which stands for ‘global positioning service’. Sat nav can replace the radio announcement cut-ins and even go two steps further by suggesting an alternative route in order to circumvent the impediment and giving you directions how to do it.
An essential piece of kit that every driver should have in the trunk is jump leads. Fan belts slacken, batteries short out, all sorts of things can happen, but if you want to get on the road again without delay, the best thing you can have if you have a flat battery is your own set of jump leads. It is no good depending on someone to stop and help you get your car going hoping that they will have jump leads. Get your own, they only cost a few dollars.
If you have children that are a pain in the neck on long journeys, why not get them an in-car entertainment system? Strapped or cut into the rear of the front seats, the screens can display video games or films – a bit like aircraft seats, but more so.
If you like to drive fast but are cheesed off with speed cameras, why not fit a speed camera detector? They are not that expensive and can be installed by yourself do-it-yourself. It could save you hundreds in fines and even your license.
In truth, there are far too many car accessories and gadgets to be listed here and I am sure that you could cite a dozen that I have left off, but the point is merely that car accessories and gadgets can enhance your driving experience and that is what it is all about at the end of the day.
