The Effects of In-car Technology on Driving Habits As cars have evolved throughout history, each coming era brings along new technology to be added to cars. These altered types of technology have affected drivers in many different ways; some types have benefitted drivers by making driving safer by limiting human blunders; however, other types have harmed drivers by causing enough distraction to lose their focus on the road and creating accidents or near accidents.
One major reason this topic is important is because of how frequent accidents occur. In the United States alone, 37,000 people die in road crashes each year and, even further than that, 2.35 million people become injured or disabled (ASIRT, 2016). Because of this major death toll,
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For instance, the Tesla cars have 17 inch touch screens in the center of the center consul (teslamotors.com, 2016). How can drivers completely focus on driving without getting distracted by the extravagant touchscreen that is four to five inches larger than the average tablet? Cell phones are thought to be the biggest distractor of drivers currently, but in actuality cell phones are not the only type of technology that can distract drivers and cause crashes. Other forms of technology that are distractors to drivers include touchscreens, radios, and the various controls included in each vehicle. If there is a way to limit the amount of this distracting technology, people could benefit greatly by lessening the chance of distraction and possible future accidents. As more technology is being developed, there is the speculation that certain technologies will have more advantages than disadvantages. For example, the new technology that is being added to some cars like adaptive cruise control, ACC, is just one step away from driverless cars. When traveling on the highway, cars with ACC are able to stay within the lines on the pavement and keep a constant speed all while monitoring what the surrounding cars are doing, whether that be getting too close or slowing …show more content…
Some of these technologies alter the idea of autonomous driving so much so that inventors will need to make major changes to driverless cars in order to maintain safety (Richtel & Dougherty,2015; Poeter, 2015).
Another factor to acknowledge within this topic is the driver. Every person has different driving abilities and concentration abilities, and because of this, every person will react differently with the technology. Klauer, Guo, Simons-Morton, Ouimet, Lee, and Dingus, authors on car safety and age differences, acknowledged this to some extent as they looked into distracted driving and road crash risks and the differences between novice and experienced drivers (2016).
Most people think of someone using their cell phone while driving when they hear distracted driving, but it it much more than that. Distracted driving is when someone who is behind the wheel get distracted by either taking their hands off the wheel or take their mind of driving, which can cause them to get into an accident (paragraph 2). Distracted driving is broken down into three main parts, manual distractions which is taking your hands off the steering wheel, visual distractions which is taking your center of attention off the road and cognitive distraction which is when your mind is not focused on driving and just starts drifting away (paragraph 3). Cell phone use is easily the biggest cause of distracted driving compared to eating, talking, and others because using your cell phone requires visual, manual and cognitive attention from the person behind the wheel and in a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, the amount of people who break the law and use a handheld device behind the wheel increases every single year. An estimated amount of more than, six hundred thousand people use their phone while driving. Distracted driving has quickly risen and developed in the past few years and is becoming an enormous problem. In a recent study, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), showed statistics of approximately three thousand, one hundred fifty
It’s time to have an honest look into using phones while we drive. We don't understand why we continue the behavior, and it’s killing us. Distracted driving is leaving tragedy behind on American roadways while there is more likelihood of meeting a “texter’ than to meet an intoxicated driver. Accidents occur when people talk on cellphones or send text messages while driving. According to an article published by the CDC “Injury Prevention and Control: Motor vehicle Safety” “Some activities—such as texting—take the driver’s attention away from driving more frequently and for longer periods than any other distractions.” The CDC reports that younger, inexperienced drivers under the age of 20 may be at increased risk; they have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. There is a lot of media about teen drivers texting, emailing and using popular social media while driving Distracted driving is far from just a teen issue, there is no age limit on this growing epidemic. Looking down at a phone for just mere seconds while driving at highway speeds is the same as driving the distance of a football field without eyes on the road and what's taking place around you. Multitasking is often encouraged in many things we do, however when it comes to operating a motor vehicle, multitasking shouldn't be an option. While laws and programs have helped and have risen awareness to the problem people find ways to cheat the system. The technology world is working hard on devices that jam cell phones while a motor vehicle is in operation. Technology will be our only chance at reducing the injury and death from our ever so popular cellular devices. Technology brought us here and now its up to technology to reevaluate and change...
The act of driving itself already demands a great amount of focus and concentration from the driver. Adding a cell phone to the picture introduces additional challenges for the brain. Researchers at Monash University's Accident Research Centre have shown that multi-tasking between driving and text messaging increases the mental workload causing higher levels of stress and frustration . For instance, stress is heightened when shifting from driving on a local route to entering a highway or vice versa. Using a phone (checking a text message, posting a Facebook status) contributes to increasing the complexity of the task at hand. This exhausts the brain, weakens the operator’s driving abilities, and compromises th...
“When a driver ‘talks and drives’ they are not only putting themselves at risk, they are also putting everyone around them in a dangerous situation” (ComparisonMarket.com). A study conducted last year by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, had cameras placed inside one hundred cars and trucks to track drivers' activities before a dangerous event occurred. Research shows users of cell phones while driving caused far more crashes and near misses than non-users. These statistics do not change even if the hand held device becomes hands free by means of a blue tooth or speaker phone. Hands-free cell phones may allow the driver to keep both hands on the wheel however, devices such as headsets or voice activated dialing led to longer dialing times causing the same level of driver distraction. Even though a study released by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety claims bans on handheld cell phones in many states seem to have had no impact on accident rates, drivers still should not use a hand held phone while driving in the car because car accidents associated with hand held phone use account for nearly three hundred deaths per year showing cell phone users are four times as likely to get into an automobile accident serious enough to cause injury.
Several individuals need to be constantly sending messages to their friends and family members with the use of a cellphone while driving. More and more drivers have the urge to use their cell phones while driving. This dangerous mixture can result to be even deadly. “As one researcher concluded, a cellphone draws attention away from the routines that would provide a good representation of the driving environment” (qtd. in Seppa 3).
New technologies that are interactive are increasingly becoming sources of distractions, and people are becoming more focused to devices resulting to reduced focus on the roads when behind the wheel. This distracted driving is becoming an alarming issue on the roads.
When a drivers eyes wonder off of the road this is labeled as visual driving distractions. More and more accidents are the results of texting and driving. States such as New York have installed text stops for this reason, so that drivers have a safe place to pull over and reply to text and phone calls along the way. Manufacturers of vehicles, however, are installing screens into cars that also cause distractions by the driver turning their focus from the road the screen such as visual directions by GPS or changing of a radio
Driverless cars have 360 degree monitoring and have the potential to save billions of dollars and thousands of lives (Brown).
There is a high percentage of people that spend a majority of their day sitting behind the wheel of a vehicle. Whether it is commuting to work, taking the kids to school, running errands, or simply going out to eat one may feel that their car has become a second home. With so much time spent behind the wheel, drivers become comfortable and incorporate distracting activities while trying to remain focused on the road. Our inability to put our cell phones away while driving is inexcusable. Drivers who choose to use mobile devices are endangering people’s lives and property with associated risks that are not acceptable. No one distracted driver is better than the next. Do to rising accidents
According to CAA Canada, over the last decade, 69% of drivers, 23% of passengers, and 8% of pedestrians involved in a car accident have had their lives taken away due to the lack of awareness of their surroundings. A paralyzing experience that doesn't only leave a scar in your memory, but also in the hearts and minds of victims. It is an ongoing issue whose tragic consequences can be avoidable with the power and commitment of the community. Our society needs a wakeup call in order to eradicate deviant road safety habits. Today, technology is inevitable in our daily lives, so instead of making it our main cause of collisions, we can make it our solution.
These technologies have made driving an easier and enjoyable experience, as well as reducing our chances of getting into accidents. The research presented in the following article “Driven to Distraction [in car technology]” provided surprising conclusions. Professor John D. Lee from the University of Iowa states the following issue: “Technology is changing very quickly. Many of these things coming into the car were not designed to be used in it. ”(Edwards 8).
Technology is evolving faster than ever these days, however there is one technology that could revolutionize the transportation industry. This technology is called autonomous cars, also known as self-driving cars. Autonomous cars can be defined as a vehicle that is capable of sensing its environment, and navigating without human input. Using different techniques such as GPS and radar, autonomous cars can detect surroundings, thus removing the human element in driving. This would have a positive effect in more ways than we could ever imagine. Research suggests that self-driving cars will become more abundant in the future because they will be more cost-effective, enhance safety, and decrease traffic congestion.
Many feel that driverless cars are the future of the automobile industry. When someone hears “Robot cars hitting the road soon” is that a guarantee that the roads will still remain safe? With the rapid growth of technology through the centuries, more specifically computer software, the issue arises of whether or not roads and other drivers will be safe behind the wheel. Currently there is very little knowledge on how driverless cars will be engineered, which brings concerns to peoples eyes. Subsequently, driverless cars can be prone to hacking, which leads to out of control situations for drivers behind the wheel.
Over the last few decades, the use of cell phones has become a very common tool. Furthermore, Technology has certainly advanced, and the cell phone is becoming the most preferred mode of communication. The demand for a cell phone is growing every day. In addition, the use of wireless technology is affordable, and anyone can buy a cell phone at a reasonable price. They come in all shapes and sizes. They range from black to bright metallic white. American public use of cell phones is increasing everyday. As the number of people using cell phones increase, the use of cell phones while driving will also increase on our streets and highways. At the same rate, motorists still converse on cell phones and write text messages while driving. Motorist will also engage in other activities apart from driving. For example, drivers will text when driving, and they will dial numbers. Drivers will receive calls and converse with the recipient for long periods. Again, driving demands your full attention, and your concentration needed when talking on the phone. However, it means that the driver has to divert his attention to the conversation, which leads to less concentration on the road. On the contrary, one can therefore connect motorist’s accidents and cell phone usage while driving.
Road safety is one of the most important aspects of daily living. Our vehicle is our main transportation from one place to another. The number of car and motorcycle accidents seem to be increasing because of the many distractions, the lack of safety measures and judgment to road conditions and weather. Not being cautious increases the chances of not only injuring ourselves but hurting others as well. On the road, you see people talking on their cell phones or texting, eating, putting makeup on, changing the radio station, reading or using your GPS while driving. These are all distractions that endanger drivers, passengers and bystanders safety. Safe driving involves off-road precautionary measures such as making sure tires are properly inflated, testing windshield wipers, getting regular oil changes and tune-ups and adjusting the mirrors. All of these actions can help prevent an accident. Unfortunately, not all of us decide to wear our seat belts when driving or turn signal ligh...