As phones and cars get smarter,
drivers seem to get dumber. Drivers are making choices to engage with
communication technology in vehicles more frequently, to the detriment of
traffic safety. The National Safety Council estimates that 28% of crashes in
the United States are a result of drivers distracted by in car technology.
The
personal and economic costs of these crashes are staggering, resulting in
thousands of ended lives and billions of dollars in costs every year. The benefits of the ability to connect to social networks while driving is less clear. In this complex problem, what role can design and ergonomics play?
Improving design to make technology easier to use is one way to reduce the
burden new technologies place on us. For example, devices that allow for
hands-free use or that read to us rather than take our eyes from the road are
touted as ways to allow users to interact with technology, but remain safe.