DRIVING DISTRACTIONS

Fifty years ago distraction to drivers was not a major safety issue. Fewer motor vehicles rode the nation's highways. Car radios were the greatest automobile related distraction and they were not in every vehicle on the road. We also were limited to AM only radios.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that one fourth of the 6.3 million vehicle crashes each year involve some form of distraction to the driver. Unquestionably, many of these accidents are caused by technology based distractions.

Today we are in the midst of a technological revolution. We regularly see new computers introduced that make last year's model — sometimes even last month's model — technologically obsolete. Moreover, we see software that has more and more clever applications introduced at a dizzying pace.

While few can argue that this technological revolution has not improved our quality of life, it does have unintended consequences on our nation's highways. Technological innovations have created devices that can cause divided attention if used improperly during the operation of a motor vehicle.

Many point to cellular telephones as the leading cause of such distractions. In a NHTSA test of drivers on a controlled track, 70% of those punching in an unfamiliar 10-digit number on a cell phone crossed into another lane and took more than 15 seconds to make the call.

Currently motor vehicles come equipped with CD-cassette AM/FM sound systems. These devices can be upgraded with multiple CD players. When you add complicated music systems and cell phones to existing technologies in the automobile, you create many opportunities to distract a driver from their primary purpose — safe operation of the automobile.

A peek over the technological horizon shows that other devices helpful to driving may very well have unintended consequences in terms of distracting drivers. On board navigation systems seem poised to be the next mainstream automobile innovation. The challenge to the industry is to devise a way to use this — and other gadgets and gizmos — safely.

If you are injured in a motor vehicle accident, take the time to consult an attorney about your rights and obligations. As in other matters of daily life, important rights can be lost over the passage of time if you do nothing to protect your rights.