The Governors Highway Safety Association indicates that New York is one of 8 states that currently prohibits all drivers from the use of hand-held cell phones while they are driving.
The use of hand-held devices is a primary offense in which law enforcement personnel need no other reason to pull you over for a violation. New York law also bans all drivers from texting while driving but considers this a secondary offense.
New York accident attorneys remain concerned that technology is at-fault in more and more distracted driving accidents.
In-vehicle technology is opening eyes to whether there is some correlation between the occurrence of distracted driving accidents and the GPS devices, satellite radios and touch-screen computers becoming standard in more and more automobiles.
According to a recent article by Reuters the government is going to push automakers to join the fight against distracted driving; the concern is that the risk of distracted driving accidents will increase as cars offer more and more technological features.
The automotive industry has improved technology in vehicles in an effort to sell more cars. Most vehicles come standard equipped with enhanced entertainment systems or navigation units.
Requiring automakers to remove enhanced technology is a step backwards so the government is making other moves, including encouraging automobile manufacturers to support anti-distracted driving campaigns. Through the first 9 months of 2010, auto advertising rose to $9.15 billion.
Spending a few more dollars each year to send a message about distracted driving should not put car companies up in arms.
Cellular carriers are also trying to do their part to reduce the number of distracted driving accidents. The New York Times recently reported that T-Mobile announced a new service that automatically disables rings and alerts and sends calls to voicemail if it detects that a phone is in a moving vehicle.
Sprint Nextel, AT&T, and Verizon are looking into offering a similar plan. The problem with the new application is that the service can’t distinguish whether the person is a passenger in a vehicle or whether he or she is behind the wheel.
Consumers may not embrace this new technology considering they are paying a monthly fee and have grown accustomed to round-the-clock phone service. We promise it will still be cheaper and more convenient than a trip to the emergency room.
Drivers have control when it comes to being distracted while driving. Perhaps not relying on technology, but rather, turning off devices while we drive is the best solution to safer roadways.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a New York car accident, contact the Law Offices of Nicholas Rose for advice. Call toll free at 1-877-313-ROSE (7673) to make a free and confidential appointment to discuss you case.
