Distracted Driving: The New Normal?

Posted on Sep 16, 2022 in Safety | 1 comment

How many times per day do you see people texting behind the wheel?

I’d venture to guess that every time you’re stopped at a light or stopped on the highway in heavy traffic, you’ll be able take a look at your fellow drivers and see at least one with his or her face buried in a phone.

It’s dangerous, and it shouldn’t happen, but we, as modern-day Americans, have outsourced our brains to our devices, and we can’t sever the connection. We text and drive, we e-mail and drive, we shop and drive, and we talk and drive. Many of us go about these activities while also eating or putting on makeup.

Driving has become the secondary or even tertiary activity while behind the wheel. Nobody can seem to stop it from happening.

So we must embrace it.

Distracted driving is a real problem, and according to the evidence I see every day, it’s only getting worse. People will continue to get hurt and accidents will continue to happen until distracted driving stops. If laws banning the practice aren’t helping, though, what can be done?

The solution is simple: We must make it easier and less distracting to interact with our phones while driving.

That’s the message General Motors is advocating as it begins to implement plans to include iOS and Android connectivity in its vehicles.

CNN says,

Apple CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto platforms allow drivers to connect their smartphones to a car’s existing infotainment system and control certain apps through the car’s dashboard system. Typically these apps are limited to streaming audio services and maps.

No other car company will have more models that are compatible with both software systems, Chevrolet parent company GM says.

Most of the apps, including text messaging, can be operated through voice recognition. Phone compatibility will be offered on coming models of the Chevy Cruze, Spark, Malibu, Impala, Volt,Camaro, Corvette, Colorado, Silverado, Tahoe, and Suburban.

Like it or not, we’ve entered an era of constant connectivity, and our cars need to become extensions of our phones, because our phones have become extensions of ourselves.