Distraction as the Main Cause of Accidents

A new Austrian standard is intended to make vehicle use safer in the future and thus drastically reduce the frequency of accidents.

Under the chairmanship of Thomas Stottan, CEO of AUDIO MOBIL in Braunau-Ranshofen, an internationally unique test method for improving the operational safety of cars has been standardized. The testing process was developed by AUDIO MOBIL in collaboration with the University of Salzburg as part of a 7-year research project through a Christian Doppler Laboratory. In this process, vehicle functionalities are tested and evaluated under real operating conditions—rather than in a simulator.

With this innovative standardized test method, it is now possible for the first time to verify that vehicle functions, such as activating adaptive cruise control, can be operated safely without distraction. As various studies have shown, visual distractions of more than 2 seconds are extremely dangerous, as one covers around 70 m “blind” in this short time at a speed of 130 km/h. The distraction times of up to 120 seconds, also scientifically determined, for tasks such as activating a phone call, represent a mental distraction of over 4.3 km at highway speeds!

The new standard for the inspection of vehicles and vehicle concepts, presented at the international IoT Congress of the Austrian Standards Institute in Vienna, is intended to provide the greatest possible remedy in this context.

During this internationally renowned congress, committee chairman Thomas Stottan presented current and future challenges in vehicle development as well as potential conceptual approaches for reducing distraction during vehicle use. Additionally, Stottan presented the development and challenging framework conditions involved in the creation of the new standard. In collaboration with the Austrian standardization institute, Austrian Standards International, and the recognized working group including representatives from the Ministry of Transport, the Board of Trustees for Road Safety, TÜV, and ÖAMTC, an internationally acclaimed standardization was achieved. This is an important step toward a significant improvement in road safety that European legislation should follow if a reduction in accident numbers is to be achieved.