[kns]

Apparently mental distraction is at least as big a problem as physical distraction and (poorly named) driver assistance technology may not be helping.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/16/b...ns-blamed-for-rise-in-traffic-fatalities.html
The Times uses a tiered subscription model. The first 10 articles each month are free.

KNS

 

[Steverino]

Yes, some may read too much into the marketing hype and think, "My car can pilot itself while I watch a movie, text with friends and post on facebook...". Maybe someday, but we are not there yet. But cell phones are probably the biggest danger for a driver today.

 

[Henry_FL]

cell phones are probably the biggest danger for a driver today.

That and the sun rises to the east each day :rolleyes

 

[VoltenRock]

Not for nothing, but the "hands free" technology that is supposed to take distractions off the road are nothing more but ANOTHER dangerous distraction. The technology is so lousy and voice recognition so pathetic that it should just be banned altogether until it is flawless. You can't rely on voice recognition to do any of the "hands-free" things it is supposed to be designed to do. Making a simple phone call relying solely on voice results in many wrong numbers dialed.

With that said, I'm not sure if this is the reason why. I was SLAMMED a few months ago by a distracted driver. He wasn't texting, nor making a phone call, nor fiddling with his GPS...he was fighting with his girlfriend (who was also in the car with him).

Unfortunately, there is no law against stupidity.

 

[rmay635703]

People in the last 5 years are more arrogant, brazen and drive faster than ever.

Despite armoring our cars our ignorant behavior trumps any safety feature.

Maybe Trump is right, take all the airbags and safety equipment out, perhaps the best safety feature would be a fear of god.

 

[rmay635703]

But cell phones are probably the biggest danger for a driver today.

Under a dollar of electronics could be installed in every car and prevent any cellular use during driving

 

[leeG]

It's a matter of perceived risk and the myth that humans are capable of multitasking.

People feel completely safe in their cars so try to get the most out of the time spent behind the wheel by doing other things than just driving. Unfortunately, the brain as a computational device is only a single processor unit that can only perform one function at a time, in other words it can only run one program at a time. Trying to drive and text simultaneously forces the brain to constantly switch between the driving program and texting program. Load driving, execute, unload driving, load texting, execute, unload texting and so on. Little wonder distracted driving is such a big problem.

 

[srmarti]

Under a dollar of electronics could be installed in every car and prevent any cellular use during driving

My phone has a "drive mode" feature that if enabled, will inform callers I'm driving and not taking calls. Costs nothing in hardware for the car and doesn't stop passengers from using their phone. I think drivers still need to be held accountable for their behavior. Products can generally only be made idiot-resistant, not idiot-proof.

 

[hellsop]

Under a dollar of electronics could be installed in every car and prevent any cellular use during driving

Why hinder the passengers when the driver's won'tpower is problem?