general motors

At an auto assembly plant in Pontiac, Mich., back in 1980, 18-year-old Mary Makela got a hands-on education about what life was like on the factory floor. It was noisy and dirty and rough. And then there were the catcalls.

News last week that a North Carolina woman died in a head-on car crash while posting selfies and Facebook updates brings home the hope for "connected cars." More cars connected to the Internet, the argument goes, would help, not distract, drivers. With hands-free, eyes-on-the-road communication and…