Government May Regulate Communications Technology Built Directly into Vehicles to Help Prevent Distracted Driving Accidents
In the market for a new car? Be sure to check out the blue tooth, the GPS, the satellite radio, and the electronic monitor that talks to you and can calculate your car’s “health.” While these toys are tempting to anyone in the market for a new car, they offer distractions galore. However, the federal government isn’t going to press manufacturers - not yet. U.S Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said on Thursday, June 9, that more study is needed before the government decides whether or not to regulate all of the communications technology now built into new vehicles.
The government has issued campaigns to discourage motorists from driving distracted by sending out emails, texts, chatting on the phone, and even dialing while behind the wheel. LaHood says Subaru and BMW have added to the conversation by sponsoring public service ads warning against distracted driving. But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is going the next step – questioning whether it is wise to build all this whiz bang technology into cars when common sense dictates it takes attention away from the road to change a channel or to put an address into a GPS. The NHTSA says safety matters more than a fast Facebook connection in the car.
Meanwhile, an extensive study is underway to determine how dangerous texting is while driving. Some of the research has already been done. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute in 2009 found that for light vehicles:
- Dialing a phone increased the crash risk 2.8 times over a non-distracted driver
- Talking on or listening to a cell phone increased the crash risk 1.3 times
- Reaching for an object increased the crash risk 1.4 times
On the eve of a Distracted Driving summit last September, LaHood said that distracted driving-related crashes claimed 5,474 lives and led to 448,000 traffic injuries across the U.S. In 2009. NHTSA reports16 percent of all traffic fatalities are the result of some form of distraction.
The Jacksonville car accident attorneys at the Farah & Farah law firm encourages everyone to use common sense and keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road. No phone conversation or tweet is worth a loss of life or serious injury. If you have been involved in a car accident in Florida that was caused by a distracted motorist, call our law offices to learn how we can help you.
Source: http://www.wect.com/Global/story.asp?S=14879528
