High tech electronic devices in new cars distracting, experts warn
Automotive safety experts continue to warn motorists of the dangers created by drivers distracted by electronic devices, but car companies are continuing to introduce new technological innovations that allow motorists to log onto social networking websites through Wi-Fi connections. Audi has proclaimed itself as the first luxury auto company to give motorists in car access to Google Earth, and automakers such as General Motors, Volkswagen, Nissan, and Ford have begun to offer internet connectivity features that include access to sites like Google, Facebook and Twitter. Meanwhile, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has started to recommend a countrywide legal prohibition of cellphone use while driving that allows no exclusion for Bluetooth transmitters or other hands free communication accessories. Motorists should not be participating in any activity that diverts their eyes away from the road ahead for more than two seconds while they are behind the wheel of a moving vehicle, according to NHTSA guidelines. In order to reduce the number of distracted driver linked collisions, the administration also recommends that any Wi-Fi enabled devices be automatically turned off until the vehicle is parked at its destination. The guidelines do not suggest a limitation be set on the number of allowable in car devices, however. In 2010 more than 3,000 deaths, 9 percent of all fatal highway accidents, involved inattentive motorists behind the wheel, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics. Some safety advocates insist this figure is artificially low because driver distraction is not reported in many cases. Nearly 25 percent of American highway accidents are linked to distracted driving, according to National Safety Council estimates.
