New Technology Helps Drivers Avoid Distractions
(ARA) - If you’ve ever gotten behind the wheel, chances are good you’ve been distracted while in the driver’s seat. Perhaps you looked away from the road -- for an instant -- to change a radio station, talk to a passenger, answer a cell phone or change the temperature inside the car. If your distraction didn’t lead to an accident, consider yourself lucky.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an estimated 25 percent of the 6.3 million crashes reported each year involve some form of driver distraction. But thanks to new developments in technology, the number of crashes blamed on distractions should soon be on the decline.

It may sound like something out of the movies, but voice-control systems that allow you to work the radio and change the interior temperature without lifting a finger or turning your head are here today. So is the next generation of wireless technology that uses Bluetooth and voice control to make and answer cell phone calls,

One of the companies at the forefront of the technological advancements is Visteon Corporation, a leading full-service supplier that delivers consumer-driven technology solutions to automobile manufactures. “We have concentrated on developing technology that allows drivers to pay more attention to the road and less on mechanics inside the car because that’s what automobile manufacturers told us their customers wanted most,” says Duane Garwood of Visteon Corporation “If the vehicle is equipped with Visteon MACH Voice Link, the driver will be able to touch a button on the steering wheel, and use the wireless connection to their Bluetooth equipped cell phone or PDA -- hands free.”

Voice technology by itself gives the opportunity to change the radio station to 100.3, all the driver has to do is push a button on the steering wheel and say, “radio, tune, 100.3.” To change the temperature to 73 degrees, the driver pushes the button and says, “temperature, 73 degrees.” By marrying voice technology with Bluetooth technology drivers can use their own cell phone to call a friend, by saying “phone, dial and then the number,” or if you have it programmed in, “phone, dial and David Jones.”

Voice control technology has been available on higher-end vehicles since 1998 when Jaguar introduced it. Infinity started offering the technology in 2002; BMW offerings adding wireless Bluetooth capability appeared in North America in 2004 and it will soon be available on high volume Nissan vehicles in North America as well.

For more information about Visteon MACH voice Link or Visteon Voice Technology, log on to www.visteon.com.

Courtesy of ARA Content



SIDEBAR

Results of a Study on Driver Distraction

A study conducted by University of North Carolina researchers for the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety in 2003 found that nearly all U.S. drivers are distracted at some point behind the wheel. Researchers placed cameras inside the cars of 70 volunteers to watch their driving behavior.

They found that reaching and leaning inside the car is the most common distraction; more than 97 percent of drivers do it. Changing the radio station accounts for 91.4 percent of distractions; 71.4 percent eat and drink; 77.1 percent talk with a passenger; and 30 percent use cell phones while driving.