Distracted driving is a leading cause of road accidents, which result in deaths and injuries. In 2020, 3,142 people died in motor vehicle crashes that were caused by distracted drivers. These drivers are only about 50% aware of the information in their surroundings, a phenomenon known as “inattention blindness”.
Types of Driving Distractions
A distraction is anything that interrupts the driver’s attention from driving and can lead to an accident. Below are the four major types of distraction.
Manual Distractions
The driver can take their hands off the steering wheel when driving. For instance, they may need to adjust the dashboard display or change the audio system.
Visual Interruptions
Some sights can take the driver’s attention and will look at them instead of the road. When doing this, they can miss road signs or deviate from their lane.
Auditory Interruptions
Noise and other sounds, like talking passengers or loud music, can make it difficult for the driver to remain attentive on the road. Often, they may be tempted to stop the noise manually.
Cognitive Distractions
This is when the driver thinks about things that are unrelated to driving. They may get deeply engrossed in the thoughts, which can cause accidents.
Car Technologies to Prevent Distraction
Various technologies have proven effective in reducing distraction, and here are three of them.
Cell Phone Blocking
When an average driver is driving at 45 mph, they take their eyes off the road about 13 times a day for about six seconds. There are built-in driving modes on cell phones that can help a driver remain focused on the road. These apps block incoming calls or texts and prevent the driver from calling or sending messages when the vehicle is in motion.
Some advanced apps can block audio features and track the vehicle’s speed. These are helpful for employers or parents with teen drivers who need to enforce no-cellphone policies whenever the car user is on the road. They can send notifications via email on the driver’s behavior.
There are motorists whose work is primarily in the car, and they cannot block incoming calls or messages. Some platforms allow them to make or receive calls without taking their hands off the steering wheel. For instance, the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands have UConnect, which connects the car to the smartphone via Bluetooth.
Driving Monitoring Systems
Inadequate sleep and fatigue also contribute to distraction when driving and can often happen during the early morning or late night commutes. To prevent accidents because of this distraction, some vehicle brands like BMW and Subaru are installing monitoring devices in their cars. These are cameras and facial recognition sensors that determine if the driver is alert and paying attention on the road. The system tracks the head and eye movement and will send an alert in the form of a chime, brake tap or tugging the seat belt so the driver can take a break.
Car Safety Features
There are standard safety features that reduce road accidents. These can include a visual or audio lane departure warning that alerts the driver when the vehicle is swaying from its lane and the signal is not turned on. A distracted driver can easily miss the vehicle at the front, and cars with forward-collision warning technology can make audible alerts to bring the driver’s attention back on the road. The system can also automatically apply emergency brakes if the driver is unable to prevent the collision. Some automobiles with dashboard displays have lockout controls that partially block the driver’s vision of the screen when the car is in motion.
Conclusion
Driver error is the cause of 94% of car accidents and is often the result of distracted driving, fatigue, driving under the influence and careless driving.
Without total concentration on the road, a driver can cause injury and even death. Luckily, some technologies are developed by automobile brands and cell phone manufacturers to alert drivers to bring their attention back to the road.
