Most American motorists now understand that distracted driving behavior is incredibly dangerous. According to the National Safety Council, more than 20 percent of unintentional auto accidents were directly caused by motorists choosing to use cellphones while driving in 2010 alone. Auto manufacturers, cellphone manufacturers and app manufacturers are continually developing various smart technologies in the hopes that more advanced tech will make distracted driving less hazardous.
However, a motorist’s risk of being involved in a car accident skyrockets the minute that he or she decides to interact with distracting technology, period. While “less” distracting technology is arguably preferable to very distracting technology, any distraction still inspires a heightened risk for otherwise preventable accidents.
It is possible that all of the smart tech available on the market will lull motorists into a false sense of security about distracted driving. They may be fooled into believing that simply because an app or an electronic device purports to be less distracting than its alternatives that it is somehow safe to use behind the wheel.
According to the National Safety Council, both hands-on and hands-free electronic devices and smart tech are hazardous for motorists to interact with while they are driving. Multitasking while driving is simply an unsafe choice for motorists to make, regardless of whether they have decades of experience behind the wheel or are just beginning their driving careers. So please, avoid distracted driving behaviors, even when app, device and auto manufacturers insist that their products are safer alternatives to other distracting technology.
Source: The Huffington Post, “The Stupidity of ‘Smart’ Cars,” Stewart Wolpin, March 5, 2014
