If you are like a lot of people in Washington State, you may have purchased or leased a new car, truck or sport utility vehicle that includes a built-in system to help you with driving directions, make or accept phone calls, play music and more. You might also choose to use solutions specific to a certain mobile operating system that connect into the system in your vehicle. These things are commonly referred to as infotainment systems.
Such infotainment systems are cropping up in a plethora of new vehicles and feature generously sized displays via which a driver can conduct any number of tasks. Manufacturers often like to tout these systems as a way to curb against the dangers of distracted driving. However, according to research conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, these systems may actually only be contributing to the problem.
A study reviewed 40 different infotainment systems produced by separate companies and rated the level of demand each system placed on a driver. Ratings included low, moderate, high and very high. None of the systems received a low rating and only 11 received a moderate rating. The remaining 29 systems were found to place high or very high demand on drivers. These demands included cognitive, manual and mental distractions.
If you would like to learn more about how to seek the right level of help for you or someone you love who has been involved in a motor vehicle accident potentially influenced by a vehicle’s technology systems, please feel free to visit the distracted driving compensation page of our Washington State personal injury website.
