Are Smart Cars Distracting Drivers?
We are all everyday users of the roads either as passengers, pedestrians, or drivers. Therefore, we should be concerned about the safety of our roads since the lack of it can harm us. Efforts have been put into place to try to make our roads safer. Some of the exemplary efforts include the manufacture of connected cars. The truth is that technology is advancing at a rapid pace, bringing with it both positive and negative impacts.
What Are Connected Cars?
Connected cars are technologically advanced and can communicate with the environment. The vehicle can share its internet access with other devices both inside and outside of it that are in very close range.
The safety precautions that need to be applied to make connected cars safe is that they have DSRC, which is dedicated short-range communication in full, and that only works if the other device is close. The frequency of operation is about 6.0 GHz.
There are telematic devices on sale at Eyeride for cars that don’t come with smart safety features. They include GPS systems, automatic braking, and rear cameras, among others.
As already mentioned, technological advancements could have both positive and negative implications. Hence, a lot of research has been done to investigate whether these connected cars distract drivers. Some of these distractions include texting, receiving calls, smoking, eating, and others.
About 50 percent of the vehicles on the road today can automatically activate their own safety system. Most of the drivers of connected cars admit that the following features lead to their distraction:
The Warning Systems
Some vehicles have alerts whenever drivers are out of their lane. This feature makes them shift their concentration from the road. This can be said to be because most drivers are used to vehicles that lack these distractive features. Therefore, they tend to be distracted in case of an unusual occurrence like an automatic braking system.
However, some drivers rely heavily on these features. Some even drive for long distances with their hands off of the steering wheel. The sense of ‘protection' given to them by these features allows them to shift their attention from the road. Both acts are dangerous and could lead to an accident.
Infotainment Technology
This feature allows the driver to input their destination to the car's GPS navigation system, and the vehicle automatically drives itself to the destination without the effort of the driver. Even though the cars move at a speed of about 25 kph, this feature still poses a great danger to the road users as the driver becomes distracted. While using this feature, drivers spend very little time looking at the road, hence decreasing their concentration. Therefore, if an unexpected danger occurs, there are higher chances that it will lead to an accident.
Conclusion
The distraction of drivers can be a cause of death or lifetime injuries due to accidents. According to experts, driver distraction refers to anything that causes a driver to take their eyes off the road or remove their hands from the steering wheel.
