I am not saying this is the stronger argument. It's still an argument, though, and it surprised me to find this sentiment missing from the comments (granted, we're at only 7 comments right now). Why would something we want applied to smartphones and PCs not apply to cars?
Cars are inherently dangerous, mostly to the people around you. Modern car safety makes sure you can practically drive into a wall and come out fine, but any people you might hit on the way won't share your fate.
You should have control over the stuff you buy, but to use that stuff on public roads you'll have to get it certified for safety. If you want to build your own race track to play video games on, be my guest, but keep your mods off the streets.
When you try to use an iPhone while driving, it will ask you if you aren't driving (i.e. a passenger) but otherwise the choice is yours to obey the rule or not. Tesla is getting in trouble for offering the same thing, but it is different, because the panel is attached to the car, so is considered part of. If it was an iPad tapped to the dashboard, no one would say that you should be automatically locked out while driving (since...it isn't a part of the car, it is just something stupid).
There are actually proposals to change that: if the iDevice can detect that it is in a moving car, that it should be disabled just in case it is the driver using it, with exemptions for people on buses and such.
We have minimum requirements for licensing, but otherwise we still have the freedom. Of course you are still liable for any damages caused, but that's called personal responsibility.
Also, I'm pretty sure most people don't care one bit what that community wants. When I hear "aftermarket and performance tuning", I think of idiots street racing, overly aggressive drivers, and obnoxiously loud cars. (I don't care if it's a straightpiped Civic or a freaking LFA, it's still obnoxious for everyone not driving the car.) Not exactly what most people want on public roads.
There sure are, but the idea of getting tweaks certified would be a big change.
This comment seems to confirm my biases.
This is a democracy people.
But the government owns the roads, so the same applies to them. If they say you can't drive and game... you can't drive and game.
And let's be fair here, you buy a car to drive on public roads.
For Apple iPhone, for example, you just have to assert that you aren't driving to use it while driving (assuming the iPhone could be used by a passenger instead, so they can't really tell).