https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_...
The number to look at is total accidents per mile rather than just fatal ones. Unfortunately that still won't really give you an accurate picture because there are far more variables than just the driver's level of attention.
Take the example of (airline) autopilots. Or in the case of a car lane keeping and radar cruise control. The driver can reallocate the cognitive energy used for precise steering input and throttle control to situational awareness, further improving safety.
These features improve safety, even (especially!) in the hands of competent drivers.
no, attention does not magically get more focused on driving by reducing already low cognitive load. most driving is already routinized, falsely lulling us into an illusory sense of security. humans do not magically get more attentive under routine when invited to be even more comfortable. autopilot is a great example: pilots eat, sleep, drink, read, and chat more, rather than paying more attention to the environment, controls, dials and gauges. this is also why traffic calming techniques that reduce overall danger are about making the ever-present risks more apparent (adding roadside trees, narrowing lanes), rather than the opposite.
those so-called "safety" features optimize for the 99% of the time that situations are routine and fine, rather than the 1% of time that they're potentially deadly, because they reduce skill and experience useful in those 1% situations. pilots talk about the same general lack of emergency preparedness induced by autopilot dependence.
Now, a lot of people would be sleeping at the wheel with no radio.
No AC during winter would mean driving with heavy coats on, so I’m not sure it would be safer. During summer it means no driving at all (which could be great in itself, but it’s a harder sale than you make it look)
My point is, someone’s distraction is likely someone else’s saving feature.
The same way someone shouldn't be driving if they're dead tired, but even if they're in an alert state, drinking a cup of coffee can sharpen them a bit more.
> Results show a significant positive association between fatal traffic crashes and heat waves with a 3.4% (95% CI: 0.9, 5.9%) increase in fatal traffic crashes on heat wave days versus non-heat wave days.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S00014...
Doesn’t look fine to me.
In my little race car, I have no radio, no air conditioner, no carpets, roll bars, bucket seats and harnesses. You're well aware you're operating machinery, and like driving a telihandler or some other machine, you don't let yourself get distracted. Phone goes in the pocket and you're absorbed with the machine you're operating.
Yet in my daily driver I often find myself fiddling with spotify, or running through contact lists for phone calls via the head unit, playing with hvac settings, etc.
While I don't know if consumers would accept the removal of comforts for safety sake, I feel that I'm a safer driver in my bare-bones vehicle with less overall distractions and conveniences. Ultimately like with everything, I guess it comes down to more education being required.