Driving Safety App Use
This week’s discussion topic:
Imagine you had an app that monitors your surroundings and tells you when you are about to crash into something. In your opinion, should the use of that app while driving be legal or illegal? Explain your reasoning.
Remember, there is a minimum 300-word requirement for each initial posting.
Please support your position with evidence from your textbook and/or other sources. Remember, you must cite every sentence in which you use materials from a referenced source. A corresponding reference list must be included.
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Driving Safety App Use
Discussion Topic: Legal or Illegal Use of Crash-Avoidance Apps While Driving?
The use of mobile applications that monitor a driver’s surroundings and alert them of impending collisions introduces a compelling debate on technology’s role in road safety. In my opinion, the use of such an app should be legal while driving, provided it meets certain safety and regulatory conditions.
First, this type of technology functions as a driver-assist tool—similar to built-in collision avoidance systems in modern vehicles. These systems have been shown to significantly reduce accidents. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), vehicles equipped with forward collision warning systems experienced a 27% reduction in front-to-rear crashes (IIHS, 2023). If an app replicates or enhances this functionality using real-time data and sensors, its use could logically produce similar benefits.
Second, the key concern often lies in driver distraction. Most states have laws against handheld phone use while driving due to the cognitive and visual distraction they cause. However, if the app operates hands-free, using audio alerts or heads-up displays, it can inform the driver without demanding visual or manual engagement. As highlighted in Traffic Safety and Human Behavior, effective in-vehicle technology should “support the driver’s situational awareness without overloading cognitive capacity” (Evans, 2018, p. 143). Thus, the app’s design is crucial in determining whether its use would be safe or not.
Moreover, allowing the use of such apps aligns with broader trends in transportation technology. Autonomous and semi-autonomous features are increasingly integrated into both personal and commercial vehicles. As we move toward more connected driving ecosystems, outright banning these potentially life-saving apps would hinder technological progress. The focus should instead be on regulating app functionality and use, ensuring that they follow federal safety standards similar to those applied to other driver-assist technologies.
In conclusion, the use of a crash-detection app while driving should be legal if the app is hands-free, non-distracting, and meets safety guidelines. Rather than banning such tools, we should focus on integrating them safely into the driving experience to reduce accidents and enhance road safety.
