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Automotive Industry

Death By Distraction - Statistical Data Included

Automotive Industries, May, 2000 by Gerry Kobe

The in-car "telematics" revolution will soon include e-mail, beepers and even Internet access. Automakers claim the systems will be safe. But safety experts say they could prove deadly

Two-year-old Morgan Lee Pena's eyes grew heavy as she leaned her weight against the snug straps of her carseat. It was naptime, and Morgan was exhausted from spending Tuesday morning with her four-year-old cousin, Christian. Her mother, Patricia, was carefully driving the family Jeep home from her sister's house, who lived just minutes away from the Pena's Perkasie, Pa., home. She was smiling as she approached the intersection of Route 152 and Rickert Road, enjoying a perfect autumn day.

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For Frederick R. Poust of Quakertown, Pa., that day was decidedly more hectic. The November 2, 1999, entry in his planner showed that he had a lunch date, but he was already hopelessly late. He reached over on the seat of his Ford Explorer and picked up his cell phone to call ahead. Maintaining a steady 45 mph, his eyes glanced down at the phone's keypad as he approached the stop sign at Route 152 and Rickert Road.

Pena's Jeep entered the intersection. Poust kept dialing and driving.

Little Morgan Lee Pena received fatal head injuries in the broadside collision that followed and died the following day at Lehigh Valley Hospital. Poust, who was not injured in the collision, received two traffic tickets and a $50 fine.

As more injuries and fatalities occur, and high-tech mobile communications use and capability expands, the question that now looms large over the auto industry and government regulators is how to make driving with these systems safer. Statistics show that cell phone use while driving causes accidents, but with the exception of Oklahoma, state accident reports don't include cell phone use data. That makes the magnitude of the problem in the U.S. an unknown. Advocates believe hands-free technology will simply resolve the safety issue and that it will become a moot point, but several recent studies indicate hands-flee is not the answer.

Research conducted by the Sunnybrook Health Science Center in North York, Ontario, and subsequently published in The New England Journal of Medicine suggests that hands-free phones offer no safety advantage over hand-held. And according to Dr. Donald A. Redelmeier, who conducted the study with statistician Robert J. Tibshirani, Ph.D., the findings indicate that cell phones, like many other in-car devices, facilitate the mental distractions that in turn cause the accidents.

"This may indicate that the main factor in most motor vehicle collisions is a driver's limitations in attention, rather than dexterity," Redelmeier concludes.

Other published data validates the theory that a driver distracted by any source is at risk -- particularly with distractions that require the driver's concentration. Dr. Michael J. Goodman, human factors research specialist for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), says his group conservatively estimates about 150,000 crashes each year are related to ordinary radio use, primarily because it demands the driver's attention.

The implications of these findings and the possible litigation they could inspire may prove devastating for existing and future product plans of both automakers and aftermarket companies. For example, Cadillac recently announced that it would be the first vehicle manufacturer to offer factory-installed e-marl and Internet access in its 2001 Seville/Deville vehicles. And several other high-end vehicle manufacturers have similar rollout plans in place. In addition, aftermarket giant Clarion currently offers AutoPC, a voice-activated dash-mounted unit that features e-mail access. Both the OE and aftermarket units have been designed for hands-on-the-wheel, eyes-on-the-road safety, but if Redelmeier's research is valid, those may not be the key factors in safety.

"These companies that are adding distractive devices to automobiles are begging for trouble," warns attorney Chris Fallon. Fallon, who is currently representing Patricia Pena in a settlement related to the loss of her daughter, says, "If I had a client that was injured by someone because he was checking his e-mail, then I'd have a great case against the industry for selling a defective product. In essence, they built in a device that is guaranteed to distract the driver."

Fallon's candor is not lost on Cadillac. The division is keenly aware of the delicate nature of how to safely add computing and communications capability to its vehicles, and through the efforts of General Motors' E-GM division and system supplier Delco Electronics, it is designing in what it considers to be foolproof safeguards. Specifically, text functions such as e-mail are deactivated unless the vehicle is stopped, so too are programming functions for the navigation system. For convenience and safety while drive-mail is made available through text-to-voice technology that will essentially "read" e-mail to the driver.

Automotive Industry

Death By Distraction - Statistical Data Included

Automotive Industries, May, 2000 by Gerry Kobe

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