| Mar 09 |
This URL may mean DOA: 19% of drivers admit using Web at the wheelA current TV ad for Chevy Cruze shows a young man and woman kissing on a sidewalk at the end of a date. He enters his car and pulls away. Not having anything better to do but drive a vehicle through traffic, he looks at his rear-view mirror to punch a button, then is asked by an automated voice, “Good evening, what would you like to do?” “Facebook news feed,” he answers, vaguely observing the road ahead. The voice replies, “First post. Jennifer French. Best first date ever.” A voice-over then plugs the car’s real-time Facebook status feature, capped by the slogan “When the good news just can’t wait.” Oh — it can’t? Is that the message we should send America about indulging in the distracted driving that kills over 5,000 persons yearly and injures — often seriously — half a million? Or can Internet access wait until arriving safely at a destination? (more…) |
| Dec 29 |
Texting drivers get car accident wakeup callMaybe you recall seeing drivers education footage showing what not to do behind the wheel. Often such lessons start as fun, with a clownish actor frantically shaving, eating, consulting maps and even reading a book while doing a lousy job of driving a car. But even with a sobering punchline about car accidents, the real joke is on all of us, now that texting while driving has entered the equation. A recent survey for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. reveals that 19 per cent of motorists admit to texting while driving. The real amount is probably higher, since not everyone will admit doing something so stupid. In fact, another survey in Massachusetts indicates that 28 per cent of people text while driving. |
| Oct 16 |
Cell phone device may ease auto accidents
No, it’s not a new state law, such as those in New York and California, which bans using cell phones while driving without a headset that frees both hands. Rather, this progress comes in the form of a device which will disable cell phones for real-time talking, texting or receiving messages while that phone is moving at a speed associated with a vehicle. A Canadian software company called Aegis Mobility has developed the device, which is called a DriveAssistT. In effect, it takes the decision to use a cell phone while driving out of the driver’s hands. |
Finally, progress is being made in the face of mounting carnage on America’s roads due to driver distractions caused by cell phones. And it’s not what you might expect.