RE: Safety and Responsibility

-----Original Message-----
From: Phil B. Lipsky [mailto:Phil.B.Lipsky@Hofstra.edu]
Sent: Thursday, October 14, 1999 12:25 AM
To: www-mobile@w3.org
Subject: Safety and Responsibility


To Whom it May Concern,

Unfortunately I don't think anyone involved in (auto)mobile web projects is
concerned with driver safety. In all the reading I've done regarding mobile
web development plans, no one is addressing the issue of safety on the
roads.

The first time someone dies in an auto accident because a driver is
distracted by sending email while driving, surfing the internet while
driving, etc.*who will take responsibility? I don't see anyone in the
austere W3C group addressing these issues.

I know, most don't care. Progress, profits, and "universal access" are all
that count. If a few people have to die along the way*what is it your
concern? Well it should be.

With all this work going into making the web accessible to people with
disabilities, you should not be ignoring the possibility that some of your
very efforts will make the disabled population grow (through automobile
accidents).

Is anyone addressing driver-safety issues in regard to (auto)mobile web
access?

Phil Lipsky

webpbl@hofstra.edu
 

The issues of web accessibility and safety can be closely intertwined.  Web
sites which are accessible will not have to be read by the driver while
driving but will be read by the text to speech software embedded in the
automobile system.  Speech to text software and systems will enable the same
hands-free operation and the Bluetooth wireless links will enable the
connections to be configuration and setup free, high data rate and will
require no operator attention.

Sites which are not designed for accessibility will choke the speech
processors and cause the driver aggravation and attention, resulting in the
kind of problems of which you write.



--
Bill Austin  http://home.att.net/~wbaustin/
Arizona Internet Professionals Association  http://www.azipa.org/
President, AzTeC Free-Net  http://aztec.asu.edu/
Motorola Bluetooth http://www.mot.com/bluetooth/
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Received on Thursday, 14 October 1999 11:34:10 UTC