Smartphones, in-vehicle technologies and other devices are causing more distracted driving accidents in Louisiana and across the U.S. In fact, the National Safety Council reports that distracted driving crashes kill at least nine Americans and injure another 100 each day. In addition, a 2016 study found that almost 50% of U.S. drivers admit to texting, using a GPS app or browsing social media while behind the wheel.
In an effort to address these issues, U.S. automakers have already pledged to make forward collision avoidance and automatic emergency braking systems standard on all new vehicles by 2022. Meanwhile, car engineers are also working on new artificial intelligence, or AI, systems to cut down on distracted driving. These systems will focus on identifying a driver’s visual, manual and cognitive distractions and mitigating them before they cause a crash.
For example, cameras and sensors in a vehicle’s cabin could feed critical information about a driver’s behavior to an AI algorithm. The algorithm could then learn to predict when the driver is going to become distracted or drowsy and send an alert to prevent it. The alert might be a blinking light, a change in the dashboard color, a vibration, a vocal command over the radio or a combination of those things. The AI system could also periodically change the alerts so the driver is less likely to tune them out or become complacent. Car safety experts hope these technologies will eventually eliminate distracted driving accidents.
Individuals injured in motor vehicle accidents are often left with serious injuries that require extensive medical intervention. In order to recover medical expenses, lost wages and other damages, it might be necessary to take legal action against the driver who caused the crash. A personal injury attorney may be able to help collect evidence supporting a claim and file a lawsuit in court.