Skip to main content

Driver distraction poses safety challenge

The risk of driver distraction is growing with the growth in information and communication technologies (ICT). Car manufacturers are under pressure to offer the latest technologies to maintain product strength. But at the same time firms also have to keep process of human interaction with the car simple, to reduce driver distraction.
June 18, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
The risk of driver distraction is growing with the growth in information and communication technologies (ICT). Car manufacturers are under pressure to offer the latest technologies to maintain product strength. But at the same time firms also have to keep process of human interaction with the car simple, to reduce driver distraction.

Research by The US 2467 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has shown that 17% (an estimated 899,000) of all police-reported accidents in 2010 reportedly involved some type of driver distraction. Of those 899,000 crashes, distraction by a device/control integral in the vehicle was reported in 26,000 cases (3% of the distraction-related police-reported accidents). Reacting on these results, the NHTSA has formulated voluntary guidelines for driver distraction, which will be rolled out in three phases based on device origin and interaction type.

The NHTSA's approach toward driver distraction will help manufacturers with the coming information systems, according to Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst, Krishna Jayaraman. He added that NHTSA plans to implement the feedback from the public and hold public hearings before finalising the first phase of recommendations. This will open up opportunities for OEMs and suppliers to convey their message and help set guidelines that will benefit them as well as the consumers. As smartphones are one of the major sources of driver distraction, the US 4180 National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in December 2011 proposed a nationwide ban on the use of personal electronic devices while driving, as the risk of an accident is four times higher when using a phone while driving a car, various studies revealed.

The regulation applies in 50 states and bans the use of hands-free systems, including wireless headsets. This could act against those firms offering phone integration and hands-free systems as a part of their portfolio.

Related Content

  • Machine and machine control innovations in concrete paving
    June 28, 2013
    Machine innovations and machine control advances are the latest news in the concrete paving sector - Mike Woof reports. While machine control systems were pioneered in the concrete paving market, continuous refinement of the technologies is offering major improvements for customers. Customers have a choice now of more than one supplier while the packages are said to be more user-friendly than before. And in addition, the systems themselves can be more closely integrated into the machines due to advances mad
  • Challenges of NMT in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam
    September 13, 2016
    Developing safety for non-motorised transport in East Africa - Shem Oirere writes. Despite increasing national budgetary allocations for the road sector in recent years, governments in East Africa have made very low investments in non-motorised transport (NMT). This is despite the fact that both Kenya and Uganda have recently passed a policy on pedestrian and cycling safety. In Kenya, the County government of Nairobi, the country’s capital, has embraced a NMT policy, while in Uganda the government has passe
  • UK crashes caused by driver error says IAM
    October 9, 2015
    According to the UK’s Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), the biggest cause of crashes on UK roads is driver error. Figures from the Department of Transport show that in 2014 driver/rider error or reaction were cited as contributory factors in 74% of accidents, involving more than 117,000 casualties. Some 20,830 of these were in London alone.
  • Widening works: road user’s nightmare or operator’s challenge?
    March 14, 2017
    Early - and continuous planning - is essential for successful road widening projects. By Nina Sacagiu, project manager, and Laurent Charles-Nicolas, project director, at Egis. Keeping goods and people moving safely is the primary objective of any transport authority across the world. Delivering this objective on motorways and making the most out of network capacity requires all the resources, skills and ingenuity of those in charge of managing the infrastructure. When the network can no longer cope wit