Long Island Car Accidents Caused by In-Car Technology

If you’ve sat in the front seat of a new vehicle lately, you may have mistaken it for a futuristic arcade. Dash panels are now equipped with everything from GPS maps, web access, phone capabilities and text messaging.

All of it has got to stop, lawmakers say, if we hope to make a dent in the number of car accidents in Long Island and across the country.

In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently offered up voluntary rules for auto manufacturers, which include recommendations to keep dashboard distractions disabled unless the car is in park.

There is some dispute about whether this would be effective, as drivers will then simply turn to their regular cell phones to talk or text and to maps to find directions – both of which can be equally disastrous.

Car accident attorneys in Long Island understand why so many are backing the NHTSA’s recommendations, having seen the devastation that can result from these fatal crashes. Lives are never the same. And for what – to check on how the Mets did last night? It’s not worth it.

NHTSA spokesman David Strickland was quoted by the Associated Press as saying that he understands that the tools built into dashboards are created to cater to the average, busy American. But he said having these devices operate while a vehicle is in motion is going to sap the driver’s attention, and therefore contribute to a growing number of car accidents in Long Island, throughout New York state and across the country.

Still, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers insists they are helping drivers to complete certain tasks more safely than ever before. Gloria Bergquist argued that regardless of the features available in passenger cars or trucks, drivers are going to talk to other people, listen to their music and get directions behind the wheel. By allowing them to do it in a way that is primarily hands-free.

Of particular concern to the NHTSA are GPS mapping devices. Nobody wants drivers to go back to using hand-held maps, which have proven to be a serious danger. But the NHTSA has proposed allowing the GPS systems to run while the car is moving, without allowing a driver to enter a new destination unless the vehicle is safely in park.

Bergquist, however, countered that passengers could safely plug in a new destination address while the vehicle was moving. Plus, if drivers can’t access their vehicle’s GPS, they could always bring along a separate device. Sometimes, these are even included on cell phones, so it wouldn’t be difficult.

Strickland said that the guidelines could make exceptions for devices that were designed solely for the passengers’ use, and couldn’t be seen or used by the driver.

While it’s clear there may be some issues in this regard to iron out, there is virtually no scenario in which a driver should risk being distracted by technologies such as text messaging, social media or Internet browsing — all of which can be done from the driver’s seat in newer vehicles.