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With the advent of smart phones and social networking more and more people want to stay connected to their loved ones and friends all the time and wherever they may be. The desire to stay connected in the world of driving can translate to distracted driving as more drivers text, make phone calls and even use the internet as they sit in the driver's seat. As a result, car manufacturers are creating hands-free technologies that are supposed to remove the distraction from behind the wheel. However, auto safety advocates are not convinced that hands-free technology will eliminate distraction and therefore car accidents.
Examples of in-vehicle hands-free communications technology are popping up everywhere. General Motors recently released a system via OnStar that allows drivers to send and receive texts as well as make Facebook updates. One analyst from Edmunds.com predicts that future hands-free technology will be based on voice command technology. The voice command technology will allow a car system to read e-mails or text messages aloud and will allow the driver to dictate e-mails or text messages. While consumers may be demanding new hands-free technology, the federal government's auto safety agency, the National Transportation Safety Board, is skeptical of safety benefits.
The spokesperson for the safety agency says that the primary duty of a driver is the safety of passengers and to ensure the safety of other vehicles on the road. Drivers should focus on getting to their destinations safely and not focus on socializing. The National Transportation Safety Board admits that hands-free technologies reduce some distraction, but the agency says the technology does not eliminate it. What is unclear according to the agency is whether communicating while driving is enough of a cognitive distraction to distract your mind from concentrating on the road.
Source: news4jax.com, "Cars help more devices go hands-free," 2/28/11
Tags: Pennsylvania, car accidents, distracted driving, hands-free technology, voice commandComments: Leave a commentView the Original article