Cellphones have fallen squarely in the traffic safety spotlight — and not in a good way. Distracted driving has been the focus of debate, education and legislation across the country. Texting while driving garners a large percentage of the discussion time, but it certainly isn’t the only technology found on cellphones that is causing accidents in Texas.
Smartphones allow a user to take pictures, send emails, shop for clothes, listen to music, watch tv shows, play games, find the cheapest gas prices, check the weather, crunch numbers, check the score of the game and get directions. As useful as all of these apps and features are, they are equally as distracting as texting.
In an effort to help stem the flow of driver distractions, one company has created a new product that it hopes will help address safety. That company is Garmin, one of the largest makers of digital navigation — one of those distractions that avert attention away from the road.
The new product is called HUD. It isn’t a reference to the federal lending regulation agency, but instead it refers to “head-up display.” Instead of a device that sits on the dashboard or below it, the GPS navigational data is projected on the windshield. The hope is that the driver will be able to see both the “next turn” and the road ahead.
When it comes to driving, there is one thing that is constant: drivers will be careless. Even those with the best safety technology are susceptible to distraction. When they injure another, they can be held liable for the damages.
Source: Yahoo! “Heads up! Yes, that’s a map on the windshield,” Mark Chalon Smith, July 16, 2013