Short takes and quick hits for the week of November 21 – 27, 2016.
Apps are leading suspect in biggest spike in traffic deaths in 50 years
Posted November 21, 2016 6:45 PST
The New York Times says automotive safety experts are blaming technology for an alaraming increase in highway deaths in the United States.
When distracted driving entered the national consciousness a decade ago, the problem was mainly people who made calls or sent texts from their cellphones. The solution then was to introduce new technologies to keep drivers’ hands on the wheel. Innovations since then — car Wi-Fi and a host of new apps — have led to a boom in internet use in vehicles that safety experts say is contributing to a surge in highway deaths.
After steady declines over the last four decades, highway fatalities last year recorded the largest annual percentage increase in 50 years. And the numbers so far this year are even worse. In the first six months of 2016, highway deaths jumped 10.4 percent, to 17,775, from the comparable period of 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“This is a crisis that needs to be addressed now,” Mark R. Rosekind, the head of the agency, said in an interview.
According to the report, the Department of Transportation has worked with the National Safety Council and other groups to devise a “Road to Zero” strategy. The goal is to eliminate roadway fatalities within 30 years.
The incoming Presidential administration has not designated a candidate for Secretary of Transportation and there is no indication that this program will continue.
– EB