Can a driver drive safely while looking at the navigational screen?

Question

I heard that many accidents were the result of inattention by drivers who use gadgets such as cell phones,dialing in to the internet, or even eating while driving. Question is: How can one concentrate on driving while looking at the navigational screen. I understand that some have voice commands but still that interrupts concentration.

Answer 1

I think that's a very fair question, Don.

I borrowed a friends GPS not too long ago for the weekend. Mainly because I wanted to see if it was worth it to buy one. While I was fairly impressed with its performance, I did notice one thing. I was giving it WAY WAY too much attention while driving. Maybe it was because it was 'new' to me or maybe it was because I was interesting in buying one so it captured my focus. But, more than once, I caught myself quickly correcting the vehicle or stopping abruptly simply because of this "gadget" in my window. I said to myself, "I better put this thing away before I hurt myself or someone else."

I suppose that's why it when you turned it on it said, 'do not adjust while vehicle is in motion'. I guess that covers the manufacturer from our own stupidity.

I do admit to using a cell phone while driving. I have been using phones in cars ever since they were brief cased sized units that went under your seat. I do not feel they are any more a distraction for me than a passenger sitting next to me talking. (But they are a distraction.) For more information about this visit my blog on cell phone use and take the survey...
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-jMjuQCwldKI7Imwa_ZLqmg--?cq=1

The truth is we will never be able to eliminate the distractions while driving. There everywhere. Heck, if you stare at a billboard sign for longer than a split second you are being 'distracted.' We have to strive to make sure our main attention is ALWAYS on the road when the vehicle is moving.

I suppose, like anything else, I would eventually gotten use to a GPS and it wouldn't have pulled my attention away so easily. But that would have taken time. I fear the same risk probably exists for anyone when they first buy/install the thing. I just hope they can remember to keep their main focus where it belongs!

BTW - Thank you for your service!

God bless.


EDIT: To Al M below... how is being ready to drop your food in an instant any different from being ready to drop a phone in an instant? I submit that there is virtually no difference, other than cleaning up dropped food could pose a bigger distraction that simply picking the phone back up.

Answer 2

I wonder if the placement of the navigation screen for the convenience of driver and passenger is optimal, if other placement would be safer for driver. Right now we occasionally glance at dashboard. Perhaps if the navigation gadgetry had more than one readout, so passenger can operate it, driver can see it without glancing away from where normally looking.

Statistically about the same number of accidents occur thanks to people distracted by cell phone use as due to being in the state of intoxication. I consider this to be very serious, because thanks to all sorts of legislation in recent years, the number of drunk drivers have been sharply reduced. This would tend to indicate that using cell phone while driving is more dangerous.

There are phones where you wear a head set, so both hands can be on steering wheel, but I wonder how tap out phone # to call. I wonder if there are phones with clasps to clip onto steering wheel, so driver hand very short distance to travel.

Once upon a time there used to be portable TV that could be in an auto, and for a time they were all the rage, then a law had to be passed banning having the screen where the driver could see it, because lots of accidents where driver not watching the road because something interesting on TV.

I am of the opinion that we should operate our vehicles with this stuff turned off, unless we can have some indicator showing there is an incoming call. Perhaps voice mail deal on it with different messages at different times.

"Al is driving right now, not want to be distracted talking on phone while driving ... will get back to you later."

Pull over to side of road, such as into parking area of some mall, restaurant, etc. to use the phone, check the directions. Historically we have used paper maps. The thing is, stuff can come from us from many directions when driving, that we must react to right away, and consumer electronics inside the vehicle are another layer of distractions.

If there's not much going on where we are driving, we can tolerate a certain level of internal distraction.

Some parents have children. They have to learn how to manage the kids such that the process does not lead to a traffic accident.

Some women put on makeup while driving.

I eat, but I am ready to drop the food, drink in an instant when the driving distractions take priority.

Answer 3

No.
Point blank. Period. No ifs, ands, or buts.
You can't see where you are going when you are looking at something else.

Remember when the other person in the front seat was referred to as the "navigator" and always read the maps?

I've seen some very hard to use ones (not intuitive at all) as standard equipment on newer cars. I'm amazed they exist.

Makes me wonder what happened to all the laws about TV and video screens. Those laws required such things to be mounted where the driver COULD NOT see them, for safety reasons. Did they get changed or are they just being ignored?

Answer 4

I agree with you about the cell phones, but having used GPS they make driving in an unfamiliar place much safer. They give you voice commands of upcoming turns so you can be in the correct lane and make a driver more relaxed and be able to focus on driving instead trying to read street and road signs, glancing at the screen becomes as quick and natural as checking your rear view mirror.

Answer 5

yea, but they would have to ba a good driver and look where there going and pay attention to the road and not there cell phone. and that they should use a bluetooth if you talk on the phone when driving, or just don't talk on the phone at all when they are driving. but alot of people or most people drive better not talking on the hone driving because you can focus on the road and not you cell Phone

Answer 6

Having one with voice command is no different than having a passenger trying to turn a map to figure it out and yelling at you to "TURN, NOW!!" , having a conversation with someone in the car or having the stereo on. It is more acurate and safer than having someone look at a map, and then the map can impede your site too. Get a good one with voice command.

Answer 7

They can drive safe if they are only glancing down at it ( no different then look at your speedometer ) But if they are trying to really examine it then they need to pull over.

Answer 8

If you have a good GPS, you should be able to drive just looking at the GPS, and never having to watch the road.
Kind of like a pilot flying on instruments. But yes, it does take practice to get to that level.

Answer 9

My dad has it and it seems pretty easy. Yes, they use voice commands, so you really don't even need to look. It will tell you when your turn is coming up and when to turn.

Answer 10

Its the same risk as anything else.