Driving a car may not seem as dangerous as it is due to it being a daily routine, but in truth everyday people risk lives by letting themselves get distracted. On average in the U. S. alone there over 6 million car accidents per year of which over 1060 accidents per day involve a distracted party. The causes of these distracted drivers are caused by anything for the surroundings of the vehicle, the components inside, and the condemned cell phone usage. Cars and trucks all have their downsides, nevertheless manufacturers have taken a new approach to seek higher standards of safety.
The controversy lies in the car maker’s decision to connect the world of driving with new technologies to simplify the driving experience, but instead clouds individual’s minds to severity of their actions when driving. In today’s world cars are becoming more hands free for their owners to supposedly ensure the driver is fully dedicated themselves to driving safely, but do the added conveniences distract more than they should. Hands Free has become a common concept in more and newer vehicles, steering wheels are covered in switches and buttons with promises to make the driving experience less complex.
But, in truth, with your mind anywhere besides being focused on the road leaves a margin of considerable error where injury or death is a very real result. The book Mind Change by Susan G. explores the use of technology on our brains today going into the details that compel a person to think erratically once influenced by technology and social media. Making a person willing to take unnecessary risks just for the sake of being constantly entertained.
Driving isn’t taken as seriously as it needs to be, nor are people being educated on how the car functions to maintain its safety and dependability. Advertisements display all the new car features such as hands free talking Bluetooth connectivity blind spot cameras, and self-parking features. All seeming to make the driving experience less of a burden and safer though in most instances they are not many ask what happens when they fail. Technology is never perfect flaws will arise and things will break the less prepared we are the more likely the outcome will be catastrophic.
Hands Free isn’t a way to make talking to someone any less dangerous, as stated by) Our minds aren’t fully focused on the road ahead instead thoughts distract us as we strain to think of how to answer or let our emotions take over and act irrationally. Using your phone when driving is a violation enforced by the police as it is a distraction. One unplanned twist of the steering wheel without someone to direct it properly could cause a collision. A point can be made when describing the implementation of other technology for the entertainment for its occupants.
Buttons clutter up the steering wheel as well as Bluetooth connectivity propose different approaches to reducing a driver distraction. However new technology has been developed to prevent cell phone use all together as the phone is blocked from usage while it is within an operating vehicle. This type of advancement will lead to safer roads because the distractions of using your phone when driving is eliminated. Each serves its purpose, but unless you understand that every time you look away from the road you endanger someone’s life.
Companies such as Google, Mercedes Benz and Tesla Motors are just a few that are making efforts to one day produce the dreamt up concept of driverless vehicles. The subject is being researched and developed calling them autonomous vehicles exclaiming the need to ensure the passengers are safe when driving by removing the human error of being distracted. Yet, the major issues preventing it will not be easy to overcome. Unless all cars would be autonomous no amount of sensors, cameras. or computer programming will be able to cope with other driver’s instincts and actions.
Concerning cost more technology will come at a larger cost, of which many will be unable to afford. (The self-driving function is stated by) Even still, an autonomous car can crash, or get cashed into just as any other would, only you’d be helplessly along for the ride. The reaction time or decisions made by a car in certain situations may not make sense. To serve as a point think of a natural disaster, flooding could prevent the car from going a certain path or leave it damaged and stuck. If the car is programmed to follow the road what will happen if its blocked, or what if a family wishes to drive through the uncharted woods?
Another example is provided by Durbin as he said how “There are still some situations in which humans outperform computers. At a four-way stop, for example, a driver can crane his neck, scan for traffic in any direction and quickly determine the speed of any oncoming vehicles. So far, cars can’t mimic that. ” In the end a driver will need to take over as computers don’t fear for your safety they are limited to do as they are programmed. Although, some drivers don’t feel comfortable driving so having a system designed to do so, if setup properly, can be safer under the right driving conditions.
Autonomous cars have many applications a driver should always be capable of taking over as a safety measure. Putting too much faith into self-driving vehicles will cause people to be less alert they themselves may depend too highly on the vehicle’s decision making putting themselves at risk. The authors of a Gale opposing viewpoints article made it known that “At a 2013 technology conference in Las Vegas, researchers demonstrated how the computers in driverless cars could be hacked to making them drive erratically and dangerously.
These virus’ are capable of taking over a car’s control system wreaking havoc on the road at any moment. As stated by Zeller “the virus’ supposedly enter the cars over the Bluetooth wireless link that lets drivers use their cellphones to carry on hands-free conversations through the cars’ microphones and speakers. ” These new devices are flawed misleading car buyers into seeing these system as an improvement reducing the risk while at the same time providing a path to put yourselves in harm’s way. Less you know the less there is to mess up
Sensors are located on almost any part subject to wear of a car though useful especially for people who find it to be an ordeal to maintain a vehicle. Sensors serve as early warning signs that there may be a problem related to the vehicle. They can detect a future problem before something more devastating and costly could occur. But for some doing things as simple as checking your oil make people feel more involved with their car, a feature removed from BMW’s new models. It all comes down to can the owner trust the car to check its status and hope the sensors don’t go bad.
Due to lower sales fewer cars are being made with manual transmissions not only does this disappoint some buyers it takes away from people understanding how their car works. Driving a standard transmission makes the driver more in tune with their car they understand how a car’s gearing plays a role in the condition. Having the driver decide how they want to drive can have an impact in how they may react. They teach themselves to be more focused when driving as the more complicated shifting of the gears their thoughts are centered on what may lie on the road ahead.
Less interaction and knowledge of how cars work will not help people it will only leave them negligent on how to operate them. Overall cars today are being designed with simplicity in mind. Rather than requiring drivers to do less Automotive companies should understand that if people aren’t required to pay as much attention their mind will be focused elsewhere. New models are implemented with too much technology that serves as a distraction for drivers when they need to be concentrating on the road. Though hands free devices may make it safer for the driver to operate certain functions it is not an entire solution.
Autonomous driving systems may eventually work for certain applications, but in the end a pilot is needed for the complex situations where a computer can’t decide the proper action. Technology has its defects and can always fail our overdependence will make us less prepared for failure. The simpler a car gets the more we choose to become distracted, in the end driving isn’t something to be seen as a game technology and entertainment should be restricted. For those who believe that when they text and drive they only put themselves at risk they are wrong as 9 people die daily from distracted drivers.