Garmin: Chat, Navigate and Steer — But Don’t Drive Distracted

The first time I saw this ad I thought my eyes and ears were
deceiving me. But no, there it is: a young woman holding a cellphone
toward the camera as “nüvifone” maker Garmin beckons viewers to
“communicate while navigating.”

“With my nüvifone, I can take calls from my friends while
I’m driving to them,” she says as she’s shown piloting an SUV with two
passengers, one of whom accepts an incoming call on a phone mounted to
the windshield. (Note to Garmin: Hands-free is not brain-free.)

Maybe
the most egregious aspect is the “Do not drive while distracted”
disclaimer — which pops up as the young woman is depicted driving
while distracted.

What
the ad doesn’t show: The driver plows her SUV through one of the
pedestrian-populated shots that follow, and bystanders whip out their
nüvifones to call 911, text their friends and photograph the carnage.