Does auto tech make you safer?

Automotive technology is always evolving. New cars are packed with technological gadgets and devices. These include sensors, cameras, warning lights and much else.

In many ways, various technological improvements do make people safer. For instance, a lot of cars have lane departure warning systems. If a driver gets distracted and starts to drift into the oncoming traffic lanes, the car beeps and flashes a light to warn them so that they can correct their course. Another example is a backup camera, which is now standard equipment and all new cars because it is so effective at preventing accidents when people are backing up. It also makes it easier to parallel park.

There are downsides

For all the benefits of automotive technology, there are some negative impacts as well. For example, experts warn that tech could make people a bit more careless while they drive. Someone who trusts their car to warn them when they drift out of their lane may not be as attentive behind the wheel, for example. Someone who is simply following directions on the GPS may not really pay attention to where they’re going or when they need to make a turn.

Additionally, some types of technology can actually be distracting. GPS is, once again, a good example. Even if it’s built into the dashboard of the car so that the driver doesn’t have to hold their phone, they still have to look away from the road to look at the screen. A driver who gets confused by the directions or the map on that screen could make a mistake and cause an accident that never would’ve happened if they were just watching the road.

Have you been injured?

It is still true that human error is the reason for most car accidents, so technology aims to reduce the number of crashes that occur by reducing those errors. But this isn’t a perfect science and mistakes are still going to happen, sometimes because of the technology itself. If you have been injured by another driver (or their vehicle’s technology), you can seek legal guidance at any time for information and assistance.