Car manufacturers are always working toward the next best thing. Technology innovators try to stay one step ahead of themselves. Put the two together and you have potentially amazing vehicles taking to the roads. It is a constant debate, however, whether all these innovations are beneficial to motorists, or just one more potential for fatal car accidents.
The Good Car Technology
There are plenty of excellent developments in tech in smart cars that help you drive better and safer and protect yourself and others from auto accidents or pedestrian crashes.
If a back-up camera is an innovation you can’t live without, you’ll wonder how you ever did without some of these creations when your next car is equipped with them:
- Cameras that read lane markings. Should your vehicle move out of the center of its lane, electric power steering moves the car right back where it belongs.
- Sophisticated sensors. The human eye can only see so far. A sensor and camera can see beyond your own capabilities at night.
- Collision–warning technology. So many people who have been in car accidents lament that split second when they could have made a different move and prevented a crash. This tech monitors speed and braking and is designed to alert the motorist of an impending collision.
The Questionable Car Technology
There are some car-related tech innovations that are now old hat. You take for granted all the things your car is now able to do. So many of these developments, however, are dangerous and lead to greater chances of distracted driving.
You might think you can’t travel from any point to another without these sidekicks, but they actually put you at greater risk of a crash:
- Hands-free technology: Voice recognition and talk-to-text are great ways to keep your hands off your phone and still communicate with people, but part of your brain is still focused on those exchanges and not on your driving. Bluetooth too causes the same distraction – talking to someone while you’re driving is using brainpower that should be on operating your vehicle.
- Navigation apps: Sure, it is awesome to tell your phone where you want to go and have your map ride shotgun as you travel. It’s definitely safer than a paper map blocking your vision as you travel at high rates of speed, right? Some generations have never even touched a paper map. While it’s hard to argue with the benefit of navigation apps, they distract from the task at hand – watching the road – over and over again.
- Built-in infotainment: Even if your GPS is right in front of you on the dashboard, you’re still fiddling with the controls. If your music and phone are right there for you to manage on your dash, you’re still looking at that and not at the road.
Consequences of Distracted Driving
If you have been involved in a car accident because of a distracted driver, schedule a consultation with the Michigan car accident lawyers at Thurswell Law to discuss your situation. Get compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. We do not charge any fees unless you collect. Call (248) 354-2222 today.
