Can distracted driving be stopped?

Distracted driving still causes a high number of car accidents in Texas and throughout the country. The government has tried to raise awareness to this dangerous driving behavior and they are hoping that they have finally found an answer to prevent distracted driving accidents in the future.

The Transportation Department recently made recommendations to prevent drivers from becoming distracted behind the wheel. To prevent distracted driving car accidents, the government wants to reduce the amount of time a driver's eyes are not on the road.

The recommendations issued by the Transportation Department include features that would limit a driver's ability to look away from the road for more than two seconds, disabling the ability to manually send text messages, social media applications or video entertainment while a vehicle is moving. Some of these functions could be used by a driver if the vehicle is stopped or parked.

Since technology plays a big role in distracted driving, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that they will continue to address the changing ways drivers become distracted behind the wheel.

These recommendations may help reduce car accidents in the future but right now they are just recommendations not guidelines that have to be followed. Even though it can be difficult to regulate driving behaviors, the government hopes that certain recommendations will be taken into account to help keep all drivers safe.

Distracted driving can come in many forms so it is important for drivers to be aware of the different ways they may become distracted while driving. Technology plays a big role in car accidents but distracted driving is also caused by drivers daydreaming or not concentrating on the road while driving. In addition, eating food, changing the radio and even talking to passengers are all distractions that can lead to a car accident.

Source: Houston Chronicle, "Government hopes to limit driving distractions," Dan X. McGraw, April 26, 2013