The technology to prevent you from getting distracted can be distracting itself

You know not to text and drive. You may even be using technology to get around the problems of distracted driving. Unfortunately, these can create their own problems if you let them. Focusing on technology instead of the road is still distracted driving. Don’t let your anti-distraction technology pull your attention away from the road.

Additional Displays

One way car manufacturers try to pull drivers away from their smartphones is to place a display screen on the dashboard. Instead of looking in your hand or in your lap, you simply look forward to see your navigation system or music options. This may seem safer, but it still has you looking at a console–and away from the road. Pulling your attention away from your primary task makes accidents more likely,

The Dashboard Touchscreen

Looking away is one form of distraction. When your console includes a touchscreen, it reduces not only your focus, but your motor functions too. It may feel safer to reach forward to press the screen than to scroll and search on your phone, but the kind of distraction still matters. Pushing your attention to searching for a song or radio station, or adjusting your navigation while you drive, distracts you and makes your driving less safe.

Voice Commands

You don’t have to look or reach away from the road to be distracted. Vehicle manufacturers introduced voice commands and Bluetooth connections to help drivers keep looking forward while they attend to other matters. This seems great, but it still removes your mental focus from where you need it to be. A phone conversation or a virtual assistant request requires mental energy that keeps you from thinking about the drive itself. Safe driving requires your eyes and your mind, and using voice tech in the car takes your mind away from what you are doing.

Distracted driving is about more than just texting and internet surfing. If you have been injured by a distracted driver, you have a right to recover damages. Contact Eisenberg Law Offices online or at (608)256-8356 to learn how we can help.