New vehicle systems are being designed inside cars to help alert distracted drivers to potential road hazards. However, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety determined that these systems did not inadvertently discourage or encourage this behavior. The researchers sought to discover whether or not these vehicle warning systems impacted drivers negatively or positively, using a Honda Accord and 108 drivers between 20-70 years old.
The drivers first went through a series of driving the car for a period without any warning systems and then entered a vehicle equipped with such features. Researchers analyzed 5 second video clips from each driver’s vehicle every seven days. Some of those clips were taken while the driver was traveling faster than 25 miles an hour and some were snapped when the car was going less than 5 miles per hour and the clip was analyzed for the coding of secondary behaviors.
According to the research results, 46% of the survey participants engaged in at least one other behavior while driving. The most popular were talking with a passenger, taking on a cellphone, grooming or using a smartphone or other device. If you have recently been injured in an accident as a result of someone’s distracted driving behavior, you may be eligible to pursue a personal injury claim against the responsible driver.