Anjuan Simmons Technology Translator

4 Rules for Driving with Technology

The end of 2007 brought the tragic story of Craig P. Bigos who struck and killed a 13-year-old boy with his car. Bigos did not even know that he hit the child until the next day because he was typing a text message while driving.

As mobile devices become more powerful and vehicles gain more media and gaming capability (which was one of my predictions for 2008), the driving experience will potentially be more dangerous than ever before. We are already seeing the impact of technology distractions by the results of a study showing that drivers on cell phones slow traffic. In order to reduce the number of vehicular tragedies in 2008, I propose these rules for driving with technology.

#1. Always Keep At Least One Hand on the Steering Wheel

While we all learned in Driver's Ed that both hands should be in on the wheel at the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock positions, I know it is impractical to enforce. So, this rule mandates that you always have at least have one hand on the steering wheel at all times. Despite your vaunted ability to drive with your knees, keep in mind that you are directing a vehicle weighing hundreds if not thousands of pounds moving at high rate of speed. You wouldn't operate a jackhammer with your knees, would you? Therefore, save two-handed text messaging and "pinching" photos on iPhones for extra-vehicular time.

#2. Always Hold Mobile Phones with Your Right Hand

I thought about making this a corollary to Rule #1, but it is important enough to stand on its own. If you have to hold a mobile phone to your ear in order to use it, then hold it in your right hand. The reason for this rule is the importance of peripheral vision. If you are using your left hand to hold the mobile phone to your left ear, then you are cutting off the field of vision on the left side of the car. This increases the blind spot on the left side of the car and also further complicates the already difficult maneuver of making a left turn (since you usually have to cross the oncoming lane of traffic). A better way to implement this rule is to purchase a wired or Bluetooth headset which does not restrict your field of vision while using a mobile phone. It may even make sense to invest in a mobile phone hands-free car kit that lets you operate your phone via voice commands similar to Microsoft's Sync technology.

NOTE: For countries where vehicles drive on the left side of the road, reverse this rule.

#3. Always Keep Both Eyes on the Road

Although this sounds obvious, I have seen too many drivers operating their vehicles while reading, turning around to discipline children, and other activities that distract from watching the road. Vehicles cover an incredible amount of ground in just a few seconds, and removing the faculty through which we receive the most information from the driving experience is foolish. Doing so at highway speeds is idiotic. Before you know it, that vehicle that was 100 meters away when you last saw it is now crashing into your front fender because you didn't see its break lights flash. So, no more reading email, watching DVD's, and checking the navigation system while you drive at 80 miles per hour.

#4. Never Wear Headphones

While it may seem odd to wear headphones inside of a car because, well, you usually have a car stereo, I have seen a surprising number of people wearing those little white earbuds while driving. This removes the sense of hearing which is almost as bad as losing your sense of sight when it comes to driving. Drivers receive many sound-based warnings including sirens from police and emergency vehicles and the honking of the horns of other drivers letting you know that you are about to merge into a tractor trailer. Instead of wearing those Bose noise canceling headphones while you're behind the wheel, use a device that will send music on your MP3 player to your car stereo system.

I hope that these four simple rules will allow us to safely enjoy our automobile technology. Let's all make a resolution to not be the next Craig Bigos.