Attention, Drivers!(Ford researching how distracted drivers perform)(Brief Article)

Poptronics, November, 2001

Everyone knows that it isn't safe to drive while tuning the radio, eating a Big Mac, talking on a cell phone, or reading the paper. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that such distractions are involved in 20% to 30% of all accidents.

Now Ford Motor Company has unveiled the VIRTTEX, or Virtual Test Track Experiment. The simulator allows researchers to study, in a controlled environment, how everyday driving tasks, such as swapping CDs, affect driver performance. The VIRTTEX "vehicle" rests atop six angled hydraulic pistons that allow it to move up to 11 feet to any side and tilt up to 20 degrees, duplicating actual forces experienced while driving.

The tests' main focus is on the use of mobile electronic...

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