Personal Injury Blog

Toyota-MIT Safety Research Program Promises New Accident Prevention Strategies

September 28th, 2011
MIT-Toyota Safety Research Program

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After a scandal-plagued couple of years that included multiple recalls involving tens of millions of vehicles, Toyota Motor Corp. is focusing on safety in efforts to rebuild its battered reputation.  The company is currently collaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Safety Research Program to study voice-activated technologies and their impact on accident risks.

According to studies conducted at the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, drivers who use voice-activated systems and handsets are just as much at risk of being distracted as those who use hand-held cell phones.

Los Angeles car accident lawyers have found much of the focus on distracted driving to lean heavily towards the use of handheld cell phones and texting devices while driving.  The belief is that when both a motorist’s hands are not on a steering wheel, and eyes not on the road, he’s distracted and at a high risk of an accident.

However, according to the Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, a motorist could be looking straight ahead, have both of his hands on the wheel,  and still be distracted enough to be involved in a serious accident.  Los Angeles car accident lawyers believe that distractions have more to do with the activity that the person is engaged in, like a conversation on a handset, than with whether the driver’s hands on the steering wheel and eyes on the road.

The Massachusetts Institute Of Technology is collaborating with Toyota to further explore the effects of voice-activated technologies in cars on driver distractions.  According to Toyota, it will spend about $50 million the next five years on other safety research programs.  The company is investing heavily in new safety technologies, in the fulfillment of a promise that the company says it has made to the American people since last year’s recalls.

Driver distraction is the number one auto safety priority for Toyota.  The company is likely to see a lot of cooperation from the Department of Transportation as it investigates voice-activated systems and driver distractions.  Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood has tackled distracted driving with a vengeance since he took over at the agency.

However, Toyota is also likely to focus on a number of other pressing auto safety concerns, including those that involve the elderly.  This is another area that Los Angeles car accident lawyers expect to be a major safety issue over the next couple of decades.  In a few years, the senior driver population in the country is likely to explode, leading to more numbers of senior drivers on the roads, and transportation safety agencies are definitely not prepared for an influx of more senior drivers.  Additionally, there are also safety issues related to young children and teenage drivers.  Young drivers, especially those in their early 20s are likely to be involved in more numbers of fatal accidents than older adults.

 

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