Manufacturers that make vehicles and companies that make smartphones realize that finding a way for motorists to safely use their phones while they drive benefits both industries. As a result, companies in both the automotive and tech fields have jumped into development of alternative products.
One such company is San Francisco-based Navdy, which recently announced the upcoming launch of a heads-up smartphone display that projects the screen onto the windshield in front of the driver. Companies such as Garmin and HUDWAY are following suit. But is it safe?
Do the Risks of Heads-Up Display Use Outweigh the Benefits?
Many smartphone functions, including navigation and music player features, have largely been replaced by in-vehicle systems, especially on new higher-end vehicles. For drivers of these cars, smartphone use on the road might seem simply unnecessary.
However, even in-vehicle systems require drivers to manipulate controls, taking their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel. These adjustments increase the risk of a car accident by three times, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
While the tripled risk increase is lower than the nine times’ risk increase posed by texting, companies such as Navdy would like to make smartphones available to drivers while lowering the risk even further.
But if the goal is to reduce risk, a heads-up display (HUD) may not solve the problem. Consider:
A 2007 study conducted jointly by researchers at the Munich University of Technology and BMW found that while HUDs present information more efficiently and keep drivers’ eyes aimed at the road, HUDs also reduce peripheral vision and make drivers more likely to overestimate the distance between the vehicle and obstacles in their path. They also continue to distract drivers from noticing roadway hazards.
In 2004, NASA studied the use of HUDs in aircraft, finding similar results for pilots. Although HUDs continue to be used in aircraft, both NASA and the Munich University of Technology concluded that they are not universally safe.
Easier? Maybe. Safer? Doubtful.
Navdy’s HUD is expected to be available in early 2015. Tech-forward consumers can pre-order the device now. Among its other features, the device offers access to navigation, music, and communication features.
Navdy claims the device will make turn-by-turn navigation and in-car messaging easier, and perhaps it will. But it is too early to claim that the device will make these tasks any safer.
Electronic devices of all sorts – even those that allow drivers to keep their heads up – remain a source of distraction from the driver’s main task: driving the vehicle safely. Whatever the source, if a motorist causes an accident related to distracted driving, he or she may be held liable for the injuries that result.
Manufacturers that make vehicles and companies that make smartphones realize that finding a way for motorists to safely use their phones while they drive benefits both industries. As a result, companies in both the automotive and tech fields have jumped into development of alternative products.
One such company is San Francisco-based Navdy, which recently announced the upcoming launch of a heads-up smartphone display that projects the screen onto the windshield in front of the driver. Companies such as Garmin and HUDWAY are following suit. But is it safe?
Do the Risks of Heads-Up Display Use Outweigh the Benefits?
Many smartphone functions, including navigation and music player features, have largely been replaced by in-vehicle systems, especially on new higher-end vehicles. For drivers of these cars, smartphone use on the road might seem simply unnecessary.
However, even in-vehicle systems require drivers to manipulate controls, taking their eyes off the road and their hands off the wheel. These adjustments increase the risk of a car accident by three times, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
While the tripled risk increase is lower than the nine times’ risk increase posed by texting, companies such as Navdy would like to make smartphones available to drivers while lowering the risk even further.
But if the goal is to reduce risk, a heads-up display (HUD) may not solve the problem. Consider:
Easier? Maybe. Safer? Doubtful.
Navdy’s HUD is expected to be available in early 2015. Tech-forward consumers can pre-order the device now. Among its other features, the device offers access to navigation, music, and communication features.
Navdy claims the device will make turn-by-turn navigation and in-car messaging easier, and perhaps it will. But it is too early to claim that the device will make these tasks any safer.
Electronic devices of all sorts – even those that allow drivers to keep their heads up – remain a source of distraction from the driver’s main task: driving the vehicle safely. Whatever the source, if a motorist causes an accident related to distracted driving, he or she may be held liable for the injuries that result.