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StumbleSUN EDITORIAL:
A plea to automakers
They should work harder with government to address distracted driving
Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010 | 2:04 a.m.
America’s love affair with the latest in electronic gadgetry goes back decades. People have long clamored to be first on their block to own a remote-control device, a telephone answering machine, a hand-held calculator or countless other innovations designed to make life easier. Recent technological advances have even made it possible to find gadgetry inside a place that would have been beyond imagination a generation ago — the automobile.
Automakers have found novel ways to convert cars and vans into virtual living rooms on wheels, complete with an array of entertainment and communications systems. General Motors has announced plans to allow users of its OnStar safety system to listen to text messages and verbally update their Facebook status. Ford offers motorists Sync, which gives them access to their phones and digital audio players with voice-activated commands.
It has reached the point where Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood felt compelled Tuesday to criticize the auto industry for giving drivers too many ways to lose concentration on the road. Speaking in Washington at a summit on distracted driving, LaHood said: “Features that pull drivers’ hands, eyes and attention away from the road are distractions.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Many people have become so attached to their cell phones, digital audio players and other devices that they cannot function without them. Automakers quickly figured this out and have designed their vehicles accordingly. But LaHood made a good point when he said new guidelines are needed to put safety ahead of entertainment. As reported by The Washington Post, he plans to meet with car companies to set those guidelines.
Cell phone use, including texting and other dangerous distractions that motorists engage in while driving, has gotten out of hand. There is debate over the safety of hands-free communication devices because of questions as to whether a driver can multitask while navigating streets and highways. There is no question, though, that driving while distracted poses deadly consequences. Crashes caused by distracted driving killed nearly 5,500 people nationally last year.
Before GM, Ford and other manufacturers rush new entertainment and communications features into production, it could be a boost to highway safety if they spent more time studying the relationship between those devices and their propensity to distract drivers. It would also be worthwhile for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to make sure that all new vehicles sold in this country emphasize safety over entertainment, putting teeth into the guidelines LaHood said he would like to adopt with assistance from the automakers.
As quoted by the Post, LaHood said automakers have supported bans on text messaging and hand-held cell phone use while driving. But they should go the extra mile by designing vehicles that reduce, not increase, driver distractions.
Discussion: 4 comments so far…
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Cars don't kill people.......
I have certainly noticed over the last 20 years or so that drivers have become much more aggressive. Just watch at any intersection for a few minutes how many cars sail on through the early orange, late orange and even early red light.
Distracted drivers are another scourge. I agree with the editorial, but have no faith that the car companies will voluntarily do anything meaningful about the problem.
Yeah. Wonderful idea.
Let's make care more complicated and more expensive.
It all rests on the driver.
Personally, I believe there are too many people with a driver's license that have no business behind the wheel. How about we simplify cars? No radio, no cup holders, no electronic traction control (this is for people who do not know how to drive).
Or are you so dependent on electronics you wish for the car that drives itself?
This won't be a problem when we get the driver-less car. Audi already raced a TT up Pikes Peak by computer. Not wireless remote, onboard computer - no driver.
Too late. The people who want these things will buy them in the aftermarket if car makers don't supply them. It's either make this stuff illegal or live with the results.
Automakers have nothing to do wtih distracted driving. Can't anyone hold individuals accountable anymore?
Weak sauce, folks.
In case you have not noticed, there are a lot of people that use their cell phones (and pagers) without the auto makers offering the hands free option.
Individuals have to he held accountable for their own actions. To blame it on the auto manufacturer or cell phone provider is misplacing the blame. If we want to hold others accountable, maybe we should hold Alexander Graham Bell responsible since if he hadn't developed the first telephone, no one would be distracted.
We can always blame technology, but usually, the solution to "OUR" problems exist in the mirror.