Do you think texting while driving is a big problem? In South Korea, there is an even more pressing challenge, as many on the highway are watching television while they are driving. It’s becoming more commonplace, and authorities are coming up with ways to deal with this growing challenge.
While mobile TV in automobiles begins to spike up in the U.S., a just released report from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs details how watching TV while driving could be a dangerous but accepted practice in years to come. The survey polled users of mobile TV in their automobiles and found that over 65 percent did have some form of television in their current vehicle. 56 percent involved in the survey said that they had watched their mobile device while actually driving the car.
South Korea does have strict laws forbidding this, and part of the survey asked the people in the poll if they know that this was illegal. 42 percent said they did not know it was illegal to watch mobile TV while driving. When asked in the same survey if they knew that using a mobile phone while driving was illegal, more than 90 percent said “yes.”
With many countries advancing more via mobile TV devices on the road, it’s a cautionary tale on how the use has become more the norm. While here in the U.S. we have ongoing legislation in various states to prevent people from even texting or operating a mobile device, South Korea is already being challenged with the masses using a mobile TV while driving as a common occurrence. Authorities are planning to crack down even tighter on this practice, which is illegal and dangerous. Here in the U.S., it’s something to keep an eye on, as mobile TV devices in cars become more and more commonplace.
