Many hope safety advances associated with smart car technology will make for safer highways. These advances include, self-driving features like lane departure warnings.
However, recent survey results suggest that drivers rely too much on self-driving features. According to an online survey conducted by State Farm, drivers who drove cars with certain self-driving features engage in more distracted driving practices than those driving without self-driving features.
Tellingly, 62 percent of drivers in vehicles with Adaptive Cruise Control or Lane Keeping Assist admitted to reading or sending text messages while operating their cars. Additionally, drivers in vehicles with self-driving features admitted to increasing cell phone app use, holding and talking on their phones in the car, and manually entering a phone number on their phones while driving.
Self-driving features have the potential of making driving safer for everyone. But drivers still need to pay attention to the road and their surroundings and refrain from engaging in distracted driving and other dangerous driving practices.
Driver negligence, including distracted driving, causes accidents. When this occurs, victims may have legal options. Contact the law firm of Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Agosto, Aziz & Stogner in Houston, to discuss legal options following a car accident in Texas.