The automotive industry is constantly transforming the tech it uses, hoping to improve a vehicle’s safety, performance and overall function.
Is it possible to have too much of a good thing, however? In-car technology has, for many drivers, become a massive source of distractions – and that’s putting people in danger.
Assumptions about safety and cognitive overload are at play
Some of the problem is that people generally assume that if a piece of technology is in the vehicle, it must be safe to use while the vehicle is in motion. However, everything from onboard cameras and display screens that tell the driver what artist produced the song they’re hearing on the radio can end up being added distractions.
New innovations in technology do indeed allow many electronic devices in vehicles to be operated purely through voice controls. However, that doesn’t actually limit their ability to be distracting. Instead, it merely creates a comfortable illusion of safety that isn’t borne out through reality.
In fact, voice-controlled devices in motor vehicles may increase what is called the “cognitive load” a driver has to deal with while operating their vehicle. A driver’s cognitive load is the amount of effort they have to exert to think, reason, react and otherwise function properly and focus on the task at hand. When there is too much information coming from too many sources for their brain to handle at once, it becomes cognitive overload – and that’s dangerous. Drivers can end up diverting their attention from the road at critical moments and end up in a crash.
Unfortunately, there seems to be no easy solution in sight – which means that accidents are going to keep happening. If you end up in a wreck with a distracted driver who was paying more attention to their car than the road, it would be wise to seek more legal guidance.
