GUILFORD COUNTY – One of the nation's biggest car manufacturers is bringing Internet access to its vehicles.

Chrysler is set to launch high speed connectivity service, called Uconnect Web, in several of its models beginning Aug. 25.

But with drivers now texting, making phone calls and using GPS devices, Highway Patrol officials say they're concerned about the new technology.

Uconnect Web will provide wireless Internet in a 100-foot radius of vehicles with the service activated.

"We're trying to provide customers the convenience that they're used to at home," Keefe Leung, a strategist with Chrysler's Advanced Connectivity Technology, said.

New car buyers will soon have the option to purchase a wireless router that will connect to laptops, PDAs, gaming consoles and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices.

Leung said customers will have continuous access to high-speed data transfer from their vehicle wherever cell service is available.

But Highway Patrol officials said they're concerned about yet another distraction on the road.

"With all this technology, it diverts the driver's attention away from paying attention to what's going on on the roadways," Sgt. A.W. Waddell, of the State Highway Patrol, said.

In 2006, more than 50,000 North Carolina drivers involved in a wreck admitted being distracted. That number jumped by more than 2,600 crashes in 2007.

Troopers say all of the technology in cars these days poses a problem when it comes to being able to react to something in the road. A very healthy person only has three-fourths of a second to take action.

And chrysler officials are reminding drivers to be responsible.

"This device is really intended for the kids in the backseat and people in the backseat," Leung said.

But Waddell's preference goes further.

"The thing we like to see is you using that technology when those four wheels are stopped," he said.

The Uconnect Web service on Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles will cost about $500 to have installed. Customers must then purchase a monthly service plan.