In recent years, in-dash electronics have seen substantial growth and increased popularity among automobile buyers. Not only does it allow drivers to link to their cellphone or connect to an iPod or other music device, but built-in navigation, vehicle controls for climate and lighting, and apps that remind you where you parked or whether you locked the doors have become increasingly popular. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Distracted Driving
Voice Activated Is Still A Driving Distraction
Automobile manufacturers say that over fifty percent of all vehicles on the road will have some sort of voice recognition technology integrated into their systems by 2020. They advertise these systems as increasing automobile safety by allowing the driver to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road, but according to a recent study done by the American Automobile Association (AAA), drivers using this type of technology are actually creating a different and worse safety risk by creating mental distractions. Continue reading
NTSB Wants Total Phone Ban For Drivers
On Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) called for a nationwide ban on the use of cell phones and text messaging devices while driving. With over a decade of investigations, the group found that as mobile devices become cheaper and more powerful, the problem of distracted driving has also increased. Right now, 9 states ban the use of hand held phones, and 35 states ban texting while driving, but the NTSB is urging states to go one step further. They have recommended that every state adopt a law that will stop the use of hands free devices as well. According to Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the NTSB, “Our safety concerns are not just about drivers keeping their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, but it is also about keeping people focused on the act of driving.”
The Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers, agrees that the problem of driving while distracted needs to be addressed, but it also defends integrated systems that allow drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road while sill staying connected. “Consumers have come to expect 24/7 connectivity, changing and enforcing that could be difficult.” The complete ban on phone use by drivers would also impact many car makers who offer integrated hands-free and voice-activated systems.
California Says Hands Free Even At A Stop Sign
According to a court ruling on Monday, drivers in California who use their non hands free cellphones while stopped at a red light or in a traffic jam will be ticketed if caught. This ruling comes after Richmond driver, Carl Nelson, received a ticket from an officer who saw him using his phone at a stop light in December of 2009. He argued he was not driving because the car was stopped while he made the call. Nelson referred to a 1991 Supreme Court ruling that said the term “drive” requires proof of “volitional movements”. In this case, a man suspected of drunk driving, was found asleep behind his running vehicle while parked on a residential street. Court threw out the case saying that there was no “volitional movement.”
In a 3-0 ruling, judges said that even though Nelson was paused at the time, he was driving on the road in the midst of other moving traffic, and distractions in this situation could create hazards to other drivers on the road. Nelson’s attorney said he plans to appeal to the state’s high court.
NHTSA To Address Distracting Auto Technology
The focus of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) is to set minimum safety performance requirements for motor vehicle equipment. They protect drivers against unreasonable risk of crashes due to the design, construction, and performance of a vehicle and they set minimum standards for protection in the event of an accident. But when it comes to the design of electronic systems, automobile manufacturers have historically been on their own.
Back when electronic systems were relatively simple automakers followed voluntary guidelines which called for displays to be high enough that drivers can scan the road while viewing displays, and that interfaces be simple enough so drivers don’t take their attention away from the road. But, today’s automobile interfaces have become considerably more complicated and even though car makers tell drivers to pay attention to the roads, they continue to pack their vehicles with infotainment systems that encourage multitasking. Today’s high tech features allow the driver to entertain and navigate as well as stay connected through their phones, e-mail and social media. According to automobile industry officials, “You can’t stop drivers from multitasking and becoming distracted. By giving motorists built-in connections that are simpler and less distracting than portable devices, we are making the roads safer.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood disagrees. He calls distracted driving “a deadly epidemic,” and feels federal authorities should set some safety standards. And they are. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is developing its own set of guidelines, to be released this fall. They will address visual and manual distractions and hope to eventually set guidelines for voice controls and portable devices.
Asleep Behind The Wheel Drowsy While Driving
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) drowsy driving results in 1,550 deaths, 71,000 injuries and over 100,000 accidents each year. Drowsy driving is considered as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol. It causes slower reaction times, vision impairment, lapses in judgment and delays in processing information. Still, over 50% of American drivers say that they drive while drowsy, and 28% admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel. According to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), drowsy driving has become more of a problem than previously estimated.
This week is Drowsy Driving Prevention Week®, a NSF public awareness campaign to educate drivers about sleep safety. Drowsy driving is a year round problem with transport drivers pushed by deadlines and shift workers working odd hours, but during the summer, the problem gets even worse. People trying to make the most of their vacation tend to ignore the signs of fatigue, resulting in an increase in drowsy driving accidents on the road.
Automakers and independent electronics companies have come up with solutions to this problem ranging from simple head positioning monitors to integrated sensor systems. While both are effective, they do have their limitations and can be expensive. The makers of a new device called the Anti Sleep Pilot are taking a different, more affordable, approach to keeping drivers alert on the road. The Anti Sleep Pilot offers a standalone model as well as an IPhone app that requires regular input form the driver to ensure that they are alert. The device is constantly calculating the drivers personalized driving fatigue levels according to 26 different input parameters. It not only alerts drivers that they are falling asleep at the wheel, but was designed to prevent drivers from getting into a dangerous situation in the first place.
Problems With Modern Automobile Interfaces
The modern car interface can do everything from making a dinner reservation to reading your text messages. In order to do this, an array of knobs and buttons are needed on the dashboard making the use of the system much more confusing. Sam Grobart, the Times’ personal technology editor, shows us three different interface systems that are trying to solve this problem. He test drives the Acura ZDX, Ford Focus, and the Audi A8 and finds that making our lives easier can often be frustrating.
Another Step To Prevent Distracted Drivers
In an effort to make roads safer from distracted drivers, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is kicking off pilot programs in Hartford, Connecticut and Syracuse, New York to test whether increased law enforcement efforts can get distracted drivers to put down their cell phones and focus on the road. California, Connecticut, N.J., N.Y., Oregon and Washington prohibit all drivers from using hand-held cell phones while driving and twenty-two states have enacted texting bans.
The program, similar to curb drunk driving and increase seat belt use among drivers, are the first federally funded efforts in the country to focus on the effects of increased enforcement and public advertising on reducing distracted driving. Drivers caught texting or talking on a hand-held cell phone will be pulled over and ticketed. The message is simple, “Phone in One Hand. Ticket in the Other.”
Each pilot program is supported by $200,000 in federal funds and matched by $100,000 from the state. Researchers will study changes in attitudes and behavior and the results will serve as a model for employing high visibility enforcement, education and outreach to reduce distracted driving behaviors in other cities and states across the country.
“There is no question that high-visibility enforcement combined with effective public advertising works. We’ve seen the results first-hand with national campaigns like Click It or Ticket and Drunk Driving. Over The Limit. Under Arrest,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.
Research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that in 2008 alone, nearly 6,000 people were killed and more than a half million people were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver.
