As reported by The Law Offices of Barry Levinson
Out of sync with the national trend of discouraging distracted driving, Ford Motor Co. is developing technology to enable drivers to listen to and issue tweets while driving. Ford promotes dashboard-mounted touch-screen devices that allow drivers to access the Internet.
The Ford Twitter technology, due on the market this year, created a firestorm of negative publicity from safety advocates when Ford unveiled it at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show in January. In addition to enabling drivers to listen to tweets, Ford's global director of connected services, Doug VanDagens, told attendees at the Consumer Electronics Show that Ford will likely announce within 12 to 18 months technology allowing drivers to verbally post tweets, CNN reported.
Ford's development of technology to facilitate driver computer use runs counter to the national trend, which sees authorities cracking down on distracted driving. Distracted driving has been likened to a national epidemic, with a 2006 National Highway Safety Transportation Administration (NHTSA) and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study showing that distracted driving is a contributor to 80 percent of all vehicle crashes and 16 percent of all vehicle fatalities. Distracted driving was a major topic of discussion at the U.S. Department of Transportation's transportation summit last fall.
Ford defends its Twitter technology, claiming to be making existing driver behaviors safer. But Ford's assertion may not hold up to scrutiny. The 2006 driver distraction study found that talking and listening to conversation via cell phone was as likely to cause a crash as dialing a cell phone; if this seemingly apt analogy for the distinction between typing on a computer and talking into one holds up, it would undermine Ford's justification for installing Twitter technology in cars.
Nevada, where Ford announced its new technology, is in the minority of states yet to tackle the problem of distracted driving with legislation. So, while Ford is selling Nevadans on new technology to expand driver ability to access the Internet while driving, the federal government and many states are cracking down on driver distraction.
The Transportation Department prohibits texting by interstate commercial truck and bus drivers. A 2009 executive order bans federal employee texting while driving government vehicles or personal vehicles when conducting government business. Eighteen states plus Washington, D.C., ban all texting while driving; another nine ban texting by novice drivers.
Hands-free cell phone use, demonstrated to be as dangerous as drunken driving, has proved a harder sell among legislatures, with not a single state adopting an outright ban. Twenty-one states and D.C. have banned all cell phone use by young drivers, 17 states and D.C. ban all cell phone use by school bus drivers carrying passengers and six states plus D.C. prohibit hand-held cell phone use across the board.
If you have been injured in an accident due to distracted driving, please consult with a personal injury attorney in your area to learn more about your legal rights and options.
Out of sync with the national trend of discouraging distracted driving, Ford Motor Co. is developing technology to enable drivers to listen to and issue tweets while driving. Ford promotes dashboard-mounted touch-screen devices that allow drivers to access the Internet.
The Ford Twitter technology, due on the market this year, created a firestorm of negative publicity from safety advocates when Ford unveiled it at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show in January. In addition to enabling drivers to listen to tweets, Ford's global director of connected services, Doug VanDagens, told attendees at the Consumer Electronics Show that Ford will likely announce within 12 to 18 months technology allowing drivers to verbally post tweets, CNN reported.
Ford's development of technology to facilitate driver computer use runs counter to the national trend, which sees authorities cracking down on distracted driving. Distracted driving has been likened to a national epidemic, with a 2006 National Highway Safety Transportation Administration (NHTSA) and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study showing that distracted driving is a contributor to 80 percent of all vehicle crashes and 16 percent of all vehicle fatalities. Distracted driving was a major topic of discussion at the U.S. Department of Transportation's transportation summit last fall.
Ford defends its Twitter technology, claiming to be making existing driver behaviors safer. But Ford's assertion may not hold up to scrutiny. The 2006 driver distraction study found that talking and listening to conversation via cell phone was as likely to cause a crash as dialing a cell phone; if this seemingly apt analogy for the distinction between typing on a computer and talking into one holds up, it would undermine Ford's justification for installing Twitter technology in cars.
Nevada, where Ford announced its new technology, is in the minority of states yet to tackle the problem of distracted driving with legislation. So, while Ford is selling Nevadans on new technology to expand driver ability to access the Internet while driving, the federal government and many states are cracking down on driver distraction.
The Transportation Department prohibits texting by interstate commercial truck and bus drivers. A 2009 executive order bans federal employee texting while driving government vehicles or personal vehicles when conducting government business. Eighteen states plus Washington, D.C., ban all texting while driving; another nine ban texting by novice drivers.
Hands-free cell phone use, demonstrated to be as dangerous as drunken driving, has proved a harder sell among legislatures, with not a single state adopting an outright ban. Twenty-one states and D.C. have banned all cell phone use by young drivers, 17 states and D.C. ban all cell phone use by school bus drivers carrying passengers and six states plus D.C. prohibit hand-held cell phone use across the board.
If you have been injured in an accident due to distracted driving, please consult with a personal injury attorney in your area to learn more about your legal rights and options.