New Technology: Is it Beneficial or Does it Lead to More Car Accidents?

The inevitability of self-driving cars seems to be in the news every day now. While we are probably still many years away from autonomous vehicles taking over the road, there are many other technologies that are currently in use. Yet, do these new technologies keep drivers safe, or do they contribute to complacency, leading to more accidents and more at-risk driving behaviors, like distracted driving?

According to Forbes, one of the biggest advancements scheduled to hit the road by 2020 is a driver override system that would stop your car if you failed to hit the brakes. Some worry that this system places the car in control, giving the vehicle the final say and not a driver the ability to override the system.

Forbes also reports that by 2020 most cars will be fully connected to the internet. But is this a good idea? We’re already connected via our phones and we’ve seen increases in accidents due to distracted driving. If every car is automatically connected to the web, will drivers be focusing on the road or their Facebook feeds?

As it stands, many personal injury lawyers in Southfield, MI like Johnny Hawkins with The Law Office of JL Hawkins Law see too many cases where accidents could have been prevented had drivers chosen to wait to surf the web.

Many features are years away. But some features currently used on cars are already causing problems. According to a recent New York Times article, technology in vehicles accounts for the top consumer complaint in 2016. Poor voice recognition software and issues with Bluetooth top the lists. Owners who had difficulty with Bluetooth pairings found that in over 50% of cases, the car didn’t recognize their mobile phone or device.

With these issues being so prevalent, we wonder what other issues could arise if vehicles are autonomous and also reliant on the internet and GPS.

Other issues are more significant. Cars with blind spot monitoring systems were found to give drivers false readings. In some instances, the systems told drivers to change lanes even when it wasn’t safe. These are serious concerns. As drivers come to trust technology and rely on it, when the technology makes mistakes, accidents can happen. The New York Times, didn’t report on any accidents happening due to false readings from blind spot technology, but it is likely only a matter of time before they start happening, if the technology isn’t improved.

Some critics claim that cars have become too complex and that driver training hasn’t kept up with it. Increasingly, user design needs to be considered, but critics claim that this isn’t always taken into account. Will cars of the future require special training?

As it stands, it appears drivers need to use caution when using technological features in their cars. At the end of the day, you should always trust your judgment. Don’t outsource your driving to a machine. Finally, if you’ve been in an accident in Southfield, MI, protect your rights. Contact a personal injury lawyer. A skilled attorney can review all the factors in your case to determine the best course of action for you and your loved ones. Visit the website of Johnny Hawkins at www.jlhawkinslaw.com.