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engineering is everywhere these Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , and cars are no exception . From built - in Internet hot spots and iPad pier bond to seat head restraint to state - of - the - art tv , many number one wood are cruising around with the late high - tech frills and appurtenance in their ride .
But even when it is designed to facilitate drivers keep both hands on the wheel , such engineering science can make " cognitive distractions " and are ultimately dangerous , expert say .
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Among the most controversial is Ford ’s former sweetening of its popularvoice - activated SYNCin - cable car communications system . The driver interface called MyFord Touch is only voice - controlled , including entertainment — AM / FM and satellite radio , HD , CD , MP3 — as well as climate restraint , phone and navigation .
MyFord Touch also uses the power of a smartphone to admittance and control other software . Users have the ability to heed to streaming music from online euphony services , stay in touch with the news and delay out the modish Twitter messages — all without taking their workforce off the wheel .
Since SYNC engineering does aside with fumbling for the telephone set , allowing drivers to keep their eyes on the route , Ford say it can help make main road safer .
" Ford is committed to address driver misdirection in empiric , research - driven ways and implementing our findings in active safety system and advanced infotainment systems throughout our vehicle lines , " Louis Tijerina , Ford senior expert specialiser , said in a recent statement .
Distraction prevention
According to a late study conducted by the Ford Motor Co. in 2009 , the SYNC hand - complimentary organization significantly abbreviate the level of distraction for driver who used it – from dial a number to choosing a song — instead of hand - defy twist .
Ford research worker measure out total eye - off - the - route meter , deviation of lane situation , travel rapidly unevenness and objective detection response time to discover remainder in attentiveness and drive functioning while using the Ford SYNC technology . Ford find oneself that drivers wander over lane line in more than 30 pct of trials using hand - held phones and music musician , as compared to 0 percent when execute those same undertaking with SYNC .
On its site , Ford also refers to a study from Virginia Tech that postdate 109 driver for one year , entailing 43,000 hours and over 2 million miles of driving . The report showed that manually dialing a hand - carry machine while drive ( a task that require look away from the road ) was almost 2.8 times riskier than just driving . Virginia Tech also reported that almost 80 pct of all crashes and 65 percent of all near - misses occur just after a glance away from the route .
" These results strongly evoke that SYNC ’s voice - interface offers real advantages equate to manipulating a carried - in gadget to do the same task , " Tijerina say .
The tilt
However , not everyone agreesthat Ford ’s in - railcar technology is beneficial to driver .
" Ford may say it ’s hands - destitute , but it ’s surely not risk - complimentary , " state Robert Sinclair Jr. , managing director of media relations for the machine social club AAA New York . " The distractions that do survive are very mentally distracting , peculiarly when it comes to ensure social networking site . We discover all of this very disturbing . "
Clive Sinclair said he believes engaging insocial media siteswhile on the road call for significantly more immersion than a phone call .
" go on Facebook or send a Tweet is engaging in a complex conversation that should dead not be done while driving , " he said . " Drivers are already see a heavy object , watching out for lights , sign and , of row , other vehicle . Just a two - second distraction is enough time for someone to be involve in a crash . "
" Car manufacturers think they are doing the ripe matter and that they are on God ’s side by preventing someone from using a hand - have machine , but it ’s just more hurt than just , " Sinclair add .
David Strayer , a cognitive scientist at the University of Utah who studiesdistracted ride , agrees that this type of engineering science in auto is unsafe .
" Some activity such as listening to the radio are passive , but others such as texting and moderate Facebook are not , " Strayer told TechNewsDaily . " The mind can only do one thing at once when drive – it ’s been long write in scientific diary . citizenry who say that in - car technology is not distracting to drivers just do n’t know the science of the brain . "
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is fighting to stop the use of sure technology in car . LaHood lately set up a " Faces of Distracted Driving " campaign , an online telecasting series exploring the tragic consequences of texting and using a mobile phone earphone while driving .
The series features mass from across the country that have been injure or lost loved ones in distracted drive crashes . In 2009 , virtually 5,500 masses died and half a million were hurt in accidents necessitate a distracted driver .
" If there was a drug on the marketplace that killed that many people each year , it would be immediately removed , " Strayer suppose .
Strayer note there is a huge societal - political battle on the table since tens of billions of dollars are at stake .
" There ’s a lot of money to be had for consumer electronic company , automakers and others , but it also has a huge impingement on insurance companies , " Strayer allege . " They are very alarmed and interested about the trend and also do n’t want client using any applied science while driving . "
More applied science
Of peculiar headache for car safety expert is the installation ofTVsinside vehicles – sometimes even in the front fundament .
" Installing a TV anywhere in the front seat of a car is illegal in some province , including New York , " Sinclair said . " Only pilotage concealment are allowed up front , and even those can be distracting . "
In many cases , people with TVs in the front rear end get busted . A driver in New York land was recently rip over after he was spotted watching porn from a front - seat TV while he was cease at a light . ( He did n’t earn a police place was flop across the street . )
Another piece had set up 15monitorsin his vehicle – including one on the inside of the fluttering covering the accelerator army tank , so he could watch television as he replenish his car . He was also catch .
" This just fit to show the deficiency of earnestness and the attitude of those operating vehicle , " Sinclair allege . " drive is not downtime to charter in other activities . "
The distractions can be lethal . A truck driver who was watching a flick accidentally come to and kill a woman who was parked on the side of a main road .
" People know late down they should n’t be enter in these types of distractions while driving , but if they try it a few times because they are bored and do n’t crash , they opine they are secure , " Strayer aver . " However , it ’s critical that people only rivet on driving while driving . It ’s not the ripe time to be entertained . "
