Technology is designed to make life easier – but can there be too much of a good thing?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 90% of all car accidents are caused by human error, so it seems like increased automation in vehicles could only improve things and reduce wrecks, but the exact opposite could be true.
You can’t count on advanced driver assistance systems for everything
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) include everything from emergency braking that kicks into place when you’re about to back up into someone in a parking lot to lane-assist warnings. These kinds of devices can and do save lives – but only when drivers don’t rely on them exclusively.
These devices are meant to be supplemental devices, not a replacement for good, old-fashioned caution. Far too many drivers are relying on tech to tell them when it’s safe to change lanes or back up, and they’re forgetting basic safety procedures, like checking their blind spots or looking around for pedestrians when they’re pulling out of a parking spot.
In addition, a startling number of drivers (61%) who have smart cars with advanced safety features admit that they will occasionally take their eyes off the road. They feel safe to do so because they assume that their car will alert them of danger. This is despite the fact that studies have shown that roughly 40% of drivers don’t even fully understand what their vehicle’s safety features actually do or how they work. In many cases, they wrongly assume that their car’s emergency braking system will engage on its own if they’re about to hit someone – instead of merely alerting them.
If you end up in a wreck with a driver who was relying on automated technology to the detriment of those around them, it may benefit you to seek legal guidance to better understand your legal rights and options.
