February 02, 2013 (Press-News.org) Even With New Technologies, Using Cell Phone While Driving Remains Dangerous
In recent years, the increased adoption of smart phone and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has changed the way people drive. Indeed, these new devices help commuters keep in touch with loved ones and help ensure they reach their planned destinations. The use of cell phones while driving does, however, come with significant risks. And although some auto manufacturers have attempted to mitigate these risks with new technologies, the danger still remains.
Distracted Driving a Significant Danger in the United States
According to statistics compiled by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,094 people were killed and an additional 419,000 injured in accidents involving distracted drivers in 2010, the last year for which statistics are available. Motor vehicle accidents involving distracted drivers accounted for a total of 18 percent of all accidents that year.
Technology to Discourage Texting While Driving Ineffective
Texting while driving - which requires a driver's eyes, hands and attention - is one of the most dangerous distraction behaviors. For this reason, many states have banned the practice. Because many people have begun to use texting as a primary means of communication, some automakers and phone manufacturers have developed technologies that allow drivers to send and receive texts "hands free." That is, the system reads incoming texts to the driver and allows him to respond with his voice. It is not necessary for the driver to take his hands off the wheel or his eyes from the road.
While these hands free systems may seem safer at first glance, research indicates that they are just as dangerous as traditional texting. For example, a recent study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute tested drivers on a closed course to determine whether they could operate a vehicle safely while texting. Half of those in the study used their cell phone while the other half used a hands-free system. Both sets of drivers performed poorly.
Although the hands-free systems do not require drivers to remove their hands from the wheel, the very act of composing a message requires drivers to divert a significant amount of attention from the road. Conversations with passengers, however, do not pose the same threat because they generally incorporate details about road conditions and landmarks. Further research is needed, of course, but it appears that the best policy is to ignore messages while driving, even if using a hands-free device.
A Personal Injury Attorney Can Help
If you or someone you love has suffered serious injury in a car accident due to the negligence of a distracted driver, contact an experienced personal injury attorney. A knowledgeable personal injury lawyer can assess your case and help you get the fair and adequate compensation you deserve for medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering. For more information about what a personal injury attorney can do for you, contact a lawyer today.
Article provided by Law Offices of Magnuson Lowell P.S.
Visit us at http://www.magnusonlowellpersonalinjury.com/
Even With New Technologies, Using Cell Phone While Driving Remains Dangerous
The use of cell phones while driving comes with significant risks. And although some auto manufacturers have attempted to mitigate these risks with new technologies, the danger still remains.
2013-02-02
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Operation Safe Driver Has Lessons for all Motorists
2013-02-02
Operation Safe Driver has lessons for all motorists
In October West Virginia took part in a North American campaign, Operation Safe Driver. Originally designed to promote highway safety for commercial vehicles, the program aims to make roads in the United States, Canada and Mexico safer for all motorists.
Sponsors of the annual event are the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Focus of Operation Safe Driver
The CVSA stated that its focus in the 2012 Operation Safe Driver initiative was on three kinds of unsafe ...
Loan Servicers Agree to Settlement, Help Homeowners Keep Homes
2013-02-02
Loan servicers agree to settlement, help homeowners keep homes
Loan servicers like Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo recently agreed to a $25 billion settlement for borrowers struggling to keep their homes. The settlement was made with a group of state attorneys general.
These banks, along with other loan providers, were charged with wrongful foreclosure and other deceptive practices like taking illegal shortcuts when foreclosing on a homeowner's property, according to Fox Business.
According to the executive summary, the settlement is ...
Court of Appeals Hears White Collar Crime Case Involving Wiretap
2013-02-02
Court of appeals hears white collar crime case involving wiretap
In the high-profile case of hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, who was convicted of insider trading following an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), judges will decide whether omitting key investigative information is grounds for throwing out evidence from a wiretap.
Federal wiretap laws
Federal investigators use wiretaps in both criminal and civil investigations, though their use is more common in criminal cases. Investigators must obtain authorization from a federal judge ...
Wrong-Way Wrecks Plague Dallas/Fort Worth Roads
2013-02-02
Wrong-Way Wrecks Plague Dallas/Fort Worth Roads
A 26-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison recently for his role in a wrong-way drunk driving crash that killed a woman and crippled a man in Dallas in March 2012. Toxicology reports indicated that the driver's blood alcohol content was 0.224 at the time of the crash, nearly three times the legal limit. He was sentenced to 15 years for intoxication manslaughter, to be served concurrently with a 10-year sentence for injuring the man, age 62. The man says he is facing financial ruin and can no longer walk without ...
Avoid These Financial Mistakes During a Massachusetts Divorce
2013-02-02
Avoid These Financial Mistakes During a Massachusetts Divorce
Psychologists say that divorce is one of the most stressful events people can experience, on par with the death of a loved one or loss of a job. Many people feel they are in no state to make important financial decisions during the turmoil that often accompanies divorce. However, people must divide property as part of a divorce, and many end up making costly errors. Massachusetts couples going through divorce can take steps to avoid common financial mistakes associated with divorce.
Financial Planning
One ...
How Do Courts Make Child Custody Decisions in Massachusetts?
2013-02-02
How Do Courts Make Child Custody Decisions in Massachusetts?
One of the more difficult parts of a couple splitting up can be determining who will get custody of any children that resulted from the relationship. Each parent wants what is best for the child, but parents do not always agree on what that means. In such cases, the court must determine the custody arrangements. Massachusetts parents should know the different types of child custody that exist and how courts make custody decisions.
Types of Child Custody in Massachusetts
The different types of child custody ...
Banks Undermine Borrower Loan Modification Efforts
2013-02-02
Banks Undermine Borrower Loan Modification Efforts
Families facing home mortgage foreclosures in Texas and across the nation were given some hope by the implementation of a federal program, the Home Affordable Modification Program, announced in 2009. However, the government's efforts to help are being stymied by the apparent inability of some big banks to work with the program and handle their HAMP applications properly.
Trying to avoid mortgage foreclosures by modifying the terms of the mortgage is a sound, practical approach for both borrowers and lenders. Borrowers ...
Hands-Free Devices Do Not Mitigate Distracted Driving Dangers
2013-02-02
Hands-Free Devices Do Not Mitigate Distracted Driving Dangers
Twenty years ago, drunk drivers and drowsy drivers were two of the most significant dangers travelers in the United States faced on the road. Today, distracted drivers - particularly those texting while driving - have emerged as a serious traffic threat. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,092 people were killed and an additional 419,000 injured in motor vehicle accidents involving distracted drivers in 2010, the last year for which statistics are available. Motor vehicle ...
Disparity in Crack Cocaine and Powder Cocaine Sentencing
2013-02-02
Disparity in Crack Cocaine and Powder Cocaine Sentencing
There is no question that the justice system treats offenses involving crack cocaine and powder cocaine differently. The U.S. Supreme Court states that 100 grams of powder are treated the same as just 1 gram of crack.
As a result, an individual arrested with 5 grams of crack could receive drug charges that may include a five-year prison sentence, while someone with the powder version would have to possess at least 500 grams to receive the same sentence.
A Bit of Background: Why the Difference?
Why the ...
Fluid Power Pressure Transducer Capabilities Brochure
2013-02-02
American Sensor Technologies, Inc. (AST) has released a new brochure highlighting its pressure transducer capabilities in the fluid power market. AST highlights various sensor types including pressure transducers and transmitters, differential pressure transducers, and multi-variable transmitters.
The combination of AST's sensor technology with compact designs allow for AST to support various applications and markets for pressure transducers. An explanation of various process connection, electrical connection and environmental options are covered to easily ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Concerns over maternity provision for pregnant women in UK prisons
UK needs a national strategy to tackle harms of alcohol, argue experts
Aerobic exercise: a powerful ally in the fight against Alzheimer’s
Cambridge leads first phase of governmental project to understand impact of smartphones and social media on young people
AASM Foundation partners with Howard University Medical Alumni Association to provide scholarships
Protective actions need regulatory support to fully defend homeowners and coastal communities, study finds
On-chip light control of semiconductor optoelectronic devices using integrated metasurfaces
America’s political house can become less divided
A common antihistamine shows promise in treating liver complications of a rare disease complication
Trastuzumab emtansine improves long-term survival in HER2 breast cancer
Is eating more red meat bad for your brain?
How does Tourette syndrome differ by sex?
Red meat consumption increases risk of dementia and cognitive decline
Study reveals how sex and racial disparities in weight loss surgery have changed over 20 years
Ultrasound-directed microbubbles could boost immune response against tumours, new Concordia research suggests
In small preliminary study, fearful pet dogs exhibited significantly different microbiomes and metabolic molecules to non-fearful dogs, suggesting the gut-brain axis might be involved in fear behavior
Examination of Large Language Model "red-teaming" defines it as a non-malicious team-effort activity to seek LLMs' limits and identifies 35 different techniques used to test them
Most microplastics in French bottled and tap water are smaller than 20 µm - fine enough to pass into blood and organs, but below the EU-recommended detection limit
A tangled web: Fossil fuel energy, plastics, and agrichemicals discourse on X/Twitter
This fast and agile robotic insect could someday aid in mechanical pollination
Researchers identify novel immune cells that may worsen asthma
Conquest of Asia and Europe by snow leopards during the last Ice Ages uncovered
Researchers make comfortable materials that generate power when worn
Study finding Xenon gas could protect against Alzheimer’s disease leads to start of clinical trial
Protein protects biological nitrogen fixation from oxidative stress
Three-quarters of medical facilities in Mariupol sustained damage during Russia’s siege of 2022
Snow leopard fossils clarify evolutionary history of species
Machine learning outperforms traditional statistical methods in addressing missing data in electronic health records
AI–guided lung ultrasound by nonexperts
Prevalence of and inequities in poor mental health across 3 US surveys
[Press-News.org] Even With New Technologies, Using Cell Phone While Driving Remains DangerousThe use of cell phones while driving comes with significant risks. And although some auto manufacturers have attempted to mitigate these risks with new technologies, the danger still remains.