Study – iPods Are a Danger to Drivers

Engineer Donald L. Fisher of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst carried out a study on drivers taking their iPods on the road. His findings were alarming: everyone focused on the device for a full two seconds at least once while driving, increasing the risk of having a car accident by three times.

Given that, once a person enters their vehicle and starts driving, the risk of having an accident already exists (not necessarily on their own account), these findings raise questions as to how safe it is to encourage drivers to buy holders for their iPods.

By not focusing on the road for two seconds or more, a driver is three times more likely to get into an accident, researchers have found. Fisher was blown away when he realized this problem hadn't been addressed before, saying "It just seems unacceptable to me, yet they're selling these holders for the iPod. Nobody's talking about this."

We recently reported that ProClip USA had announced its new iPhone 3G Holder with Tilt Swivel and Pass-Through Connector. The company's holders are designed to securely mount to car, truck, or SUV dashboards and consoles in order to hold the portable device. The pass-through connector acts as a docking station, to which users can connect a stereo cable, charging cable or any other 30-pin dock connector cable. The holders are designed and manufactured by Brodit AB in Sweden. They are custom made for the new iPhone 3G, and attach to vehicle specific ProClip dashboard mounts. iPod-specific models are also available from ProClip USA.

Fisher also revealed in a separate, but similar study that novice drivers are even more exposed to distractions while driving. This study focused on the travel behaviors of drivers between the age of 16 and 18. Some 55 percent of them “took their eyes off the road for a dangerous length of time due to an in-vehicle distraction,” reads a UPI report.