We’ve often written of the improving safety performance of trucks after participating in a live demonstration, or sitting through a presentation on connectivity.
So, it comes as a bit of a surprise that overall highway fatalities rose in 2016 to a decade-high of 37,461.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report found more deaths across almost every category from a year earlier.
The figures seem to indicate that technology may have a downside.
"Some in-vehicle technology can create unsafe situations for drivers on the road by increasing the time they spend with their eyes and attention off the road and hands off the wheel", said David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
AAA has been raising the alarm of too many distractions in passenger vehicles. It called programming navigation devices “the most distracting task,” taking an average of 40 seconds for drivers to complete. And of the 30 systems it tested, 12 allow for programming navigation while driving.
When it comes to learning how to use a new smart phone or computer, chances are someone younger than you can pick up the technological nuances much faster. This phenomenon may also be playing out on our nation’s highways.
NHTSA said drivers in fatal crashes aged 65 and above rose 8.2% last year, after rising 9.9% the previous year.
The overall problem is larger, with more deaths last year attributed to drunk driving, speeding, and not wearing seatbelts. Even truck-involved fatalities rose to 4,317, the highest level since 2007.
For Don Daseke, CEO of Daseke Inc., there are “lots of factors” that go into the fatality figures, and “infrastructure is definitely part of it.”
He said if highways and bridges were better maintained, there would be fewer ties-ups in major arteries, and many accidents would never happen.
No one would argue with that message, even though Congress fails to properly address the issue year after year. There remains no guarantee there will be any action this year, despite President Trump’s repeated calls for a $1 trillion bill.
Meanwhile, on the technology front, more vehicles continue to hit the road every day with active safety systems – but also more infotainment and related systems.
“When an in-vehicle technology is not properly designed, simple tasks for drivers can become complicated and require more effort from drivers to complete,” said AAA’s Yang.
NHTSA’s fatality report shows it may be time for all vehicle manufacturers to take a more critical look at how their systems are being used – and misused – to reverse fatality statistics headed in the wrong direction.
