The key to avoiding distracted driving is simple, according to new research from MIT: just keep your eyes on the road and look where you're going. That might sound horribly obvious, given "look where you're going" is one of the earliest lessons we learn as we become mobile. But this new study reinforcing that lesson was focused on a slightly more complicated question: is the problem with distracted driving one of trying to concentrate on two separate tasks at the same time, or could it be a matter of where your eyes are pointing?
When I learned to drive in the early 1990s, distracted driving wasn't really on anyone's minds. But then cellphones became ubiquitous, and smartphones followed, and so texting drivers became another thing we have to watch out for on the roads. It's not like the auto and tech industries aren't aware of the problem. Just about every new car sold today provides a way for a driver to connect their phone for hands-free calling. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and MirrorLink all exist to cast certain apps from a smartphone to a car's infotainment screen.
The problem with this kind of information is that it could be true. While I don't advocate censorship, I /do/ think that reports of this kind should strive for balance by including information, such as the New Zealand study, that give a better perspective on the issues.
If the cellular industry is trying to drive sales by shaming drivers into thinking that the many deaths attributed to distracted driving are the fault of the drivers who didn't follow their grandfather's advice, well, this would be a good example of the technique.
Bill Horne Moderator