Based on Article Called Risks of hands-free driving - Essay Example

The article was authored by the editorial board and published in The New York Times on May 28 this year. The authors indicate that the car manufacturers are striving to save lives of travelers by developing automated packaging in cars that enable free driving without the necessity of applying effort with the hands. For instance, some cars could maintain a safe distance to the cars in front without the driver’s help and this technology is applied by companies such as the Mercedes-Benz and General Motors (The Editorial Board 1).

The authors, however, argue that, although the manufactures intent to install the new feature in the cars to enhance safety, it could increase distraction while driving leading to accidents. The article has pointed out some premises to their argument indicating that the drivers could be tempted to keep throwing their eyes off the road into other concentrations such as texting and they would not be able to manage the cars in case of unexpected occurrences leading to accidents (The Editorial Board 1).

Following this, the belief that the new technology is safer turns out to cause accidents that could otherwise be avoided with driver’s complete concentration on the road. Distractions are common on the roads even where there are no new technologies. This affirmed in the study facilitated by the AT and T which revealed that 61 percent person confessed text while driving and 33 and 27 percent admitted they use email and Facebook respectively while on the roads (The Editorial Board 1). These are major distractions and have a strong connection to the traffic accidents.

In fact, the national administration of highway traffic safety indicates that 16 percent of the total number of traffic accidents reported in 2013 to the police was as a result of distractions. Other statistics developed by a nonprofit organization, National Safety Council, estimated that about 27 percent of all accidents in 2013 were due to people