Advertisers Seem to be Trying to Increase the Number of Distracted Drivers on the Road

By Jeffrey S. Friedman | July 12, 2021

Driver distraction is the leading cause of crashes in Delaware. We don’t need advertisers increasing those numbers. If you were hurt by a distracted driver, call Silverman, McDonald & Friedman in Newark, Seaford or Wilmington today.

It’s bad enough that drivers text while they drive, talk on their cellphone, eat, drink, smoke and look at their GPS system. Now, Ford has come up with a new idea that seems destined to cause even more drivers to be distracted. Ford’s new brainstorm is to bring the billboards you see while you’re on Delaware highways into the computer screens in your car.

Advertisers Seem to be Trying to Increase the Number of Distracted Drivers on the Road
Photo Credit: Ford

According to Jalopnik, Ford’s new advertisement system in your car system is designed to help drivers and passengers who can only read the large print on billboards as they zoom by at 65 mph. The system captures the billboard screen and displays all the details (phone, website, address, email) onto your car’s infotainment unit.

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How does Ford’s advertisement capture system work?

Ford has filed for a patent on its new technology which uses cameras to identify any billboards while you drive. The system captures the billboard screen and converts the information to the screen/infotainment unit. Infotainment units are becoming standard on newer car models. The infotainment system is useful for multiple purposes including driver assistance information (the “info”) and music, videos, and other entertainment (the “tainment”).

The Ford technology does more than capture an image of a billboard. The technology analyzes the information on the billboard. The system can create hyperlinks so your car is immediately ready to call the advertiser. It’s expected that Ford will be working with advertisers to use the capture system to fulfill a variety of advertiser goals.

Why should drivers be concerned about distracted driving?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), driver distraction claimed 3,142 lives in 2019. Data from the Delaware State Police shows that distracted and inattentive driving led to 5,640 car crashes in Delaware in 2020, claiming the lives of 11 people and injuring 1,188 others. We should be concerned about distracted riving because it is dangerous to our health.

Distracted driving involves any activity that involves:

  • Taking your eyes off the road. If you’re not watching the road, you won’t see if you’re too close to another vehicle, if another vehicle is too close to you, if you’re drifting into another lane, if you’re approaching a red light, or any other traffic dangers.
  • Taking your hands off the steering wheel. Some types of driver distraction such as eating or drinking require that you remove at least one hand from the steering wheel. You need both hands on the wheel to navigate away from any dangers.
  • Taking your mind off the traffic. Drivers only have a second or two to respond to emergencies. If a driver is talking on their phone, eating, or looking at a billboard advertisement on their screen – they’ll lose that precious second or two they need to respond to traffic emergencies. The NTHSA states that “sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.”

Why the new Ford in-car advertising experience is especially dangerous

Most of the causes of driver distraction are within the control of the driver. A driver can turn his/her cellphone off while driving. A driver can be sure to think through his/her travel plans before getting into the car instead of over-relying on a GPS system. The Ford capture technology, like most other capture technology, doesn’t appear to be an option because the infotainment system needs to be turned on to capture the crash-avoidance information.

Drivers can see the billboards when they drive. They’ll immediately know their infotainment unit now has the billboard information. That knowledge increases the likelihood a driver will take his/her eyes off the road to look at the infotainment system. Just the flash of light from the computer screen may be distracting.

Ford’s new technology just seems to be begging drivers to get into an accident by creating an unnecessary distraction that places profit over the safety of drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and bicycle riders.

Another concern posed by Ford’s new billboard capture technology is that the only way drivers may be able to control the visual graphics on their infotainment unit is to pay a monthly fee, in the same way consumers pay for add-free social media sites like YouTube or Spotify, so they can have an ad-free experience. The advertisement capture system may also result in ads every time you pull into a gas station for gas or a battery-charging station. Once technology can capture billboard ads, it won’t be long before the technology will capture ads anywhere you drive or idle your car.

At Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, our Delaware car accident lawyers hold distracted drivers accountable for this type of inexcusable negligence. Drivers must fully focus on the driving conditions around them at all times. When they do not and they cause you harm, we are here to help. To talk with an experienced trial lawyer, please call us at 302.888.2900 or fill out our contact form to speak with our offices in Wilmington, Newark, and Seaford.

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Posted in Auto Accidents