After a decades-long decline in automobile fatalities, numbers began to go up with the dawn of smart phones. Laws banning use of cellphones while driving haven’t stopped the rise — and the dawn of smart cars seems to be making things worse.Today, we talk about efforts to stop distracted driving — and why they don’t seem to work. Read the <a href="https://the-times.simplecast.com/episodes/4-24-distracted-drivers/transcript" target="_blank">full transcript here</a>.Host: Gustavo ArellanoGuests: L.A. Times auto industry reporter Russ MitchellMore reading:<a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-03-14/deaths-broken-limbs-distracted-driving">Highways are getting deadlier, with fatalities up 22%. Our smartphone addiction is a big reason why</a><a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-07-06/we-are-killing-people-how-technology-has-made-your-car-a-candy-store-of-distraction">‘We are killing people’: How technology has made your car ‘a candy store of distraction’</a><a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-05-26/dmv-tesla-year-long-slow-walk">The DMV said it would investigate Tesla over self-driving claims. Then, crickets</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;After a decades-long decline in automobile fatalities, numbers began to go up with the dawn of smart phones. Laws banning use of cellphones while driving haven’t stopped the rise — and the dawn of smart cars seems to be making things worse.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Today, we talk about efforts to stop distracted driving — and why they don’t seem to work. Read the &lt;a href="https://the-times.simplecast.com/episodes/4-24-distracted-drivers/transcript" target="_blank"&gt;full transcript here&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Host: &lt;/strong&gt;Gustavo Arellano&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Guests:&lt;/strong&gt; L.A. Times auto industry reporter Russ Mitchell&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;More reading:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-03-14/deaths-broken-limbs-distracted-driving"&gt;Highways are getting deadlier, with fatalities up 22%. Our smartphone addiction is a big reason why&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-07-06/we-are-killing-people-how-technology-has-made-your-car-a-candy-store-of-distraction"&gt;‘We are killing people’: How technology has made your car ‘a candy store of distraction’&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-05-26/dmv-tesla-year-long-slow-walk"&gt;The DMV said it would investigate Tesla over self-driving claims. Then, crickets&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
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After a decades-long decline in automobile fatalities, numbers began to go up with the dawn of smart phones. Not even laws have stopped the rise — and the dawn of smart cars seems to be making things worse

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Can anything stop distracted driving?

Can anything stop distracted driving?

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