Driver distraction is one of the significant causes of road crashes around the world. It may be driving while operating your mobile phone or doing other activities that shift your focus from driving.
According to the National Safety Council, driving while operating a smartphone results in over 1.6 million accidents annually. Furthermore, close to 390,000 injuries happen each year due to crashes caused by texting while driving. In the United States, one in every four car accidents is caused by texting while driving.
This has inspired the need for a technology that could prevent drivers from texting while driving. Also, different car features are assisting drivers in maintaining their focus on the road. These innovations warn drivers or intervene to head off potentially fatal events. Here are some of the technologies being embraced to prevent drivers from texting when behind the wheel:
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
AEB works by sensing potential crashes, and if the driver does not react on time, the brake is engaged automatically. Statistics show that if this system works hand-in-hand with other safety technology, it can reduce up to 60 percent of rear-end collisions.
Lane-Keeping Assist (LKA)
LKA steers or brakes the car if it starts to lose balance or drift out of the main lane.Coupled with other telematic devices from Eyeride, it can warn drivers when the vehicle crosses lane markings and the indicator signals are not engaged.
Furthermore, mobile apps have been developed to prevent drivers from texting while driving. Some of these apps include:
AT&T DriveMode
This is a free mobile app that activates when your car speeds above 15 mph. AT&T DriveMode blocks text notifications, which may tempt you to check your phone when driving. Moreover, this app can send automatic text replies.
Drivesafe.ly
Drivesafe.ly is designed to read incoming text messages and emails aloud for drivers. This enables the driver to concentrate fully on the road. Most car manufacturers have begun to manufacture vehicles that embrace Drivesafe.ly’s technology.
Live2Txt
When turned on, this smartphone app blocks incoming text messages and calls. Similar to AT&T DriveMode, Live2Txt can be set to reply to incoming messages automatically.The app was designed by a police veteran and costs $1.99 to download.
Sprint Drive First
Designed for Sprint customers, Sprint Drive First diverts incoming calls to voicemail.It also mutes email and text notifications when the car moves above 10mph.
Samsung In-Traffic Reply
Samsung phones have an app called In-Traffic Reply that allows drivers to set automatic replies to incoming text messages and calls. Furthermore, with the help of GPS, the app senses vehicle motion and can notify the driver of any potential collisions.
Apple iOS 11
The Apple OS itself has a DO NOT DISTURB mode that blocks alerts of any incoming messages and calls. The best thing about this is that you can only make calls when driving if your device is connected through Bluetooth.
Conclusion
Safety technology provides visual, audio, and tactile notifications to warn drivers of a potential collision with another car. Statistics from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows that these innovations have helped to reduce up to 27 percent of rear-end accidents in vehicles.
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