How Infotainment Might Be To Blame For Your Car Accident

One of the biggest risk factors for someone to be in a fatal car crash is distracted driving. Although there are all sorts of ways that someone can be distracted behind the wheel – from eating to putting on makeup – usually distracted driving involves a smartphone or mobile device. The newest trend in car technology is to have an “infotainment system.” Coming standard now on most cars and considered a “must” for luxury vehicles, are they inadvertently distracting drivers from paying attention to the road?

Although cars have come equipped with stereo systems from as far back as the 1960s, the newest navigation systems and connectivity capabilities being offered are allowing people to multitask while in transit. While that may seem like a good thing for the driver, for car accident risks it simply isn’t the best thing.

Not all components of infotainment systems are to blame. Things like rear-end collision technology and reverse cameras are eliminating blind spots and helping to decrease human error. But some other parts of the entertainment that infotainment affords might be drawing the eyes away from where they should be.

Many of the so-called “security” features that are being installed in cars might be doing more harm than good. Causing a distraction to drivers, they might also have them relying on a machine instead of on common sense. If the system takes the driver’s attention from the road for just a fraction of a second, then the risk of a car collision is increased significantly. So, what if your visual map attached to your touchscreen is to blame for your  accident? Should you be responsible and liable, or should it be the fault of the car manufacturer who installed the distraction and caused you to engage in distracted driving?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, as many as 421,000 fatalities a year are to blame for distracted driving. Many states attempting to curb such drastic statistics have made it illegal to use electronic devices while driving. Things like texting and driving and cell phone use are strictly prohibited if you are driving in Texas. But one thing that isn’t legislated is the use of onboard infotainment systems that are really just an extension of your smartphone or mobile device.

Although there are no set standards for what a car manufacturer can build into their infotainment system, the NHTSA does have suggestions about how much time the driver should be required to look at something to use it, and what type of hand operation a system needs to operate it.

Can automakers be to blame for auto accidents?

Since there are currently no laws outlawing or banning the use or the installation of infotainment systems, as well as no laws about what they can and cannot use, it would be very difficult to hold a car manufacturer liable for your Houston accident, even if the use of their infotainment system was to blame for distracting you.That does not mean that the manufacturer can’t be held liable for other reasons, such as if the safety features malfunctioned. It just means that if you look down to stream Pandora on your stereo system and get into an accident, you are the only one to blame.

There are times when infotainment systems can fail and their safety features malfunction; if that is the case, then you might have a product liability suit on your hand. But that would be very difficult to prove in a court of law.

Infotainment systems are an excellent way to make the “road less traveled” more fun to travel, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t create a distraction for drivers. Since you can’t just shut off your dashboard, before you buy a car you should think about whether the automation and infotainment system is an asset or just a means of distraction.

If you are in an accident  and at-fault for distracted driving, the only one who will be at fault and liable is you. According to Hugh Howerton, It is the law to leave your smartphone behind when you are driving, but it is also a good idea not to fiddle with anything that is built into the car that distracts you from watching the road.