Driver Distraction - Battle For the Dashboard

How much can the driver handle? We've watched the pieces come together and also followed the discussion about driver distraction. What's shaping up, or should be shaping up, is a major debate over the future of human autonomy, privacy and safety.

Trusting humans
The distraction issue is not new. In short, there is no lack of media attention to the driver distraction issue.
For a long time, it's been obvious to experts on driving that one of the biggest problems plaguing drivers is distraction. This has been a problem long before mobile phones and navigation systems. If there are no technology distractions there's that other, perhaps even more dangerous distraction -- absentmindedness.
Before there was texting there were drivers who drove off the road into trees, drove full tilt into cars stopped on the shoulder, drove right through red lights without even seeing them. (read expert analysis on drivers.com - 'Finding the Crashes of the future' )
Divided attention
Driving is a task that depends on attention dividing. How do we drivers train our vision instincts.
Today's training is more about getting a license than dealing with the problems that beset experienced drivers.
Drivers, laws, and technologies
Over the past decade the role of 'telematics' in driving has accelerated. The enthusiasm for all this technology will be evident if you type "telematics" into the Drivers.com search box and search our site.
How the safety issue plays out may depend as much on politics as the realities of safety and driver distraction. Can drivers be trusted? Hopefully, informed public discussion will play a major role in the outcomes.