Distraction in action

Road signs are a key distraction to motorists whilst out on the road. Previous research from the RAC Foundation has found that ‘five plus or minus two’ is the amount of points or messages that we are able to take in at any one time. According to American Research* driver distraction is a factor in 10-30% of all accidents and a third of these accidents are caused by distractions outside the car. This has lead the RAC Foundation in conjunction with the Council for Protection of Rural England to campaign for local authorities to undertake clutter audits within their local areas.

The reason for writing an entry on this issue, is that other research has come to light highlighting the same issue. A 2004 Canadian study found that 90% of drivers glanced at one or more signs for at least 0.75 seconds and 20% glanced at a sign for longer than two seconds, a sufficient length of time to compromise road safety. A survey conducted by AAMI in Australia has also found that half of respondents (from the Victoria area) had been distracted by roadside billboards.  

Distraction whilst driving is an International issue and concern. The evidence linking signage distraction to collisions is plentiful, and it is an issue that the RAC Foundation will continue to raise.

* USA Fatality Analysis Reporting Systems.

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Cars to be new mobile Internet hubs

Cars will soon be wireless connected to allow information to be received and sent between vehicles according to new research from the University of California, Los Angeles.

As cars enter the mobile network drivers will be able to download multimedia (e.g. movies, images and songs) or get up-to-date information about traffic. Such a system would also supply a good reliable channel during natural disasters. The system would include an onboard computer, GPS, low cost software and specially written software. Current communication ranges are between 330 and 990 feet. In the future it is expected that vehicles will switch to the Dedicated Short Range Communications standard, currently in development at the US Department for Transport. This signal will have a range up to 3,300 feet. Hotspots or fixed communication towers will still be needed if people need to access the internet, but a movie or map already saved within another vehicle’s computer will not need access to the Internet.

This research is an interesting development and shows that we are moving towards a more connected way of living. We are increasingly becoming a more mobile society and technology developments such as this will help provide greater efficiency and flexibility in our future lives.

 (Source: www.bignewsnetwork.com)

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