While technology has enhanced many aspects of our everyday lives, leading to safer, more convenient standards of living overall, the picture becomes a bit murkier when cars are involved. The rapid advancements in entertainment, onboard features, and even navigation bring new risks and distractions to drivers.
How Does Technology Help Promote Car Safety?
Modern vehicles come equipped with numerous safety features and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, and adaptive cruise control. These systems can detect potential hazards and intervene to prevent collisions — in fact, on average, vehicles equipped with automatic emergency brakes cause fewer rear-end collisions compared to those without.
Additionally, collision avoidance systems play audio alerts to inform drivers of impending car crashes; lane departure warnings help fatigued drivers maintain their trajectory on the road; telematics technology monitors driving behavior, provides feedback, and even rewards safe driving through certain insurance companies; and fully autonomous vehicles promise to react to potential accidents quicker than humans could.
What Are the Potential Risks of Car Technology?
However, other in-car innovations — such as infotainment systems, GPS navigation, and smartphone connectivity — can divert a driver’s attention away from the road and increase the risk of accidents. Driving while texting poses an especially significant risk, as it takes visual, physical, and cognitive resources to send a quick text message.
Partially because of the issues surrounding new technology, distracted driving has quickly become a leading cause of car accidents nationwide.
However, the risks do not stop at distractions — some drivers have started to rely too heavily on the robust safety features of their vehicles or on the semi-autonomous driving systems, which leads to accidents that timely human intervention could have avoided.
Additionally, as modern automobile technology uses the internet more and more, the risk of hacking vulnerabilities and cybersecurity compromises grows — insufficient security measures could expose a driver’s personal information and location to bad actors.
Is There a Balance Between Technology and Safety?
Many accidents have been caused, at least in part, by distracted driving. There is a balance to be struck between the benefits and dangers of in-car technology.
While ADAS and other safety features help support safe driving habits, they are not substitutes for vigilance and attentiveness on the road. Ongoing education and awareness campaigns play a critical role in helping drivers understand the benefits and risks inherent in on-the-road tech.
As companies continue to improve automotive tech features, they should emphasize secure, intuitive, and distraction-free systems that simultaneously protect drivers while reducing their cognitive load.
Find Legal Help by Contacting the Chester County Car Accident Lawyers at Eckell Sparks
If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident and believe it was due to technology-influenced distracted driving, the experienced Chester County car accident lawyers at Eckell, Sparks, Levy, Auerbach, Monte, Sloane, Matthews & Auslander, P.C., can help. Our team of compassionate and dedicated attorneys will investigate your case, determine liability for your accident, and help you claim the compensation you deserve. Contact us at 610-565-3701 or fill out our online contact form for a consultation. Our offices in Media and West Chester, Pennsylvania, serve clients throughout Delaware County, Chester County, and Montgomery County.