Distracted driving is an epidemic that has prompted a series of organizations to look into the causes of the phenomena. But as more incidents occur and new risks arise with the popularization of augmented reality apps like the Pokemon Go game, safety advocates are left wondering whether there’s any hope left.
According to traffic-safety experts, driver distractions can be either manual, visual, or cognitive. Sometimes, distractions fall under two or more categories. In order to understand how drivers deal with the several different types of distraction, a professor at the University of Washington College of Engineering decided to study distracted driving closely. For the study, the professor used a driving simulator. Focusing on mostly teen drivers, researchers found that teen drivers are being exposed to a serious risk by being allowed to remain distracted while behind the wheel.
In order to help change this reality, the leading professor behind this distracted driving study is urging drivers to keep in mind that, globally, distracted driving results in 3,000 daily. Making distracted driving a global health crisis.
In the video below, the scholar explains her solutions to the issue, letting the viewer know that the combination of smart policy changes, education, and advancement of automotive technology can help to put an end to distracted driving.
As the number of distracted driving crashes increases, the scholar hopes to use data from her previous researches while pulling more recent numbers to demonstrate how the problem can only be solved once politicians, law enforcement, and the populace work together to put an end to the risk.
While she’s hopeful that the self-driving technology will eventually help drivers to put an end to distracted driving accidents, the technology is still not ready to be made widely available. Until then, drivers must stay focused and alert. Ignoring that distracted driving can lead to serious consequences will result in deadly crashes.
Watch the video below for more details and make sure to click here if you would like to read more.
