On drivers and technology
From The Macon Telegraph
With all our technological advancements in the vehicle arena, more people are dying in crashes than at almost anytime in history according to the National Safety Council. The NSC estimates that 40,200 people died in automobile accidents in 2016, up 6 percent over 2015. We haven’t seen this level of vehicle death in a decade. Georgia has seen a 34 percent increase in vehicle deaths from 2014 to 2016 according to the NSC. Georgia had the fifth highest percentage increase in the nation.
One of the reasons cited is distracted driving. Many drivers hold their smartphones in higher regard than Gollum held his “precious” ring, constantly staring at its shimmering screen or picking it up whenever it beckons — even while steering a vehicle weighing several thousand pounds. The other reasons for a higher death toll have nothing to do with technology, but human behavior. Speed and intoxication, with speed being the most contributing factor in highway fatalities even as actual crashes decrease in some states.
But can technology also act as savior? The answer is a qualified, “maybe.” Technology exists and is on the market right now, that can disable cellphone use, internet access, even game playing while in a moving vehicle but still allow the ability to make 911 calls. Other features include reports of excessive braking, cornering and speed. These type apps are usually employed by parents. And while young adults exhibit risky behavior, they are not the only ones speeding or running red lights, or reading and answering texts while driving.
While Georgia law bans all cellphone use for drivers under age 18 and texting for everyone, all we have to do is look around to see how well that’s working. According to the National Occupant Protection Use Survey, at any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cellphones or manipulating electronic devices while driving.
Car manufacturers are developing different technologies, from heads up displays to text messages read aloud over the vehicle’s speaker system and voice-activated replies. And there has been an effort to have the government require phone makers or auto manufacturers build into their products systems that would automatically disable a cellphone’s ability to text or connect to the internet.
The other issues of speed and intoxicated driving are more vexing. Difficult to put speed governors on every vehicle and we have yet to convince those who have a penchant for drinking and driving that their sickness could get them and whoever they hit, killed. Maybe one day technology will be able to identify drunk drivers, but that day hasn’t arrived yet.