The National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) and the U.S secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, are both trying to reduce road accidents caused by distracted driving. So far, their efforts have resulted in 35 states, and the District of Columbia, banning the use of handheld cellphones or texting while driving.
Driving is, indeed, a serious activity that requires all of your attention. According to the Department of Transportation’s December 8 release, distracted driving caused 3,092 fatalities in 2010.
The National Transportation Safety Board [NTSB], on the other hand, has embarked on a crusade to ban the use of all mobile devices while driving – even with hands-free devices.
"The safety board has investigated a lot of accidents", said Deborah Hersman, NTSB chairman. "Many times the distraction that is there is not just about the manipulation of something or a visual distraction. It's about a cognitive distraction. It's about not being engaged in the task at hand."
The NTSB wants all 50 states to enforce the ban. But if such a proposal goes through, car manufacturers that are increasingly introducing infotainment systems in their newest models, such as Ford’s Sync, will have to remove many of their features.
While the NTSB is willing to make concessions for certain functions like navigation systems or GM’s OnStar, technology analysts like Strategy Analytics’ Roger Lanctot say that this will be a very costly measure.
"There are billions of dollars of smartphone development activity that would be thrown out the window. You'd have a lot of dark screens in cars," said Lanctot.
He also noted that if the NHTSA or the Congress get influenced and pass new legislation, car manufacturers will have to spend millions of dollars in downgrading the systems in their customers’ existing cars and, of course, redesigning those on new ones.
Ford replied that external research shows that hands-free, voice-activated technology such as the one used on Sync "significantly reduces risk by allowing drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road."
Our take on the matter is that, like most things in life, it's not all black or white. Technology exists to make our lives easier and safer. Using a handheld cellphone is certainly not a clever idea. Banning everything in the name of safety is, well, a bit far-fetched.
Accidents do happen and will happen for a number of reasons. Unfortunately, some of them cause fatalities. Most of them are not related to the issue raised by the NTSB. Should we ban car usage once and for all? What about airplanes or trains? Maybe we should just all stay home. There you have it: no personal responsibility at all. Just beware of the oven or that kitchen knife…
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