Robert Rosenberger is the author of the lead article that appeared in Slate magazine at the end of December which put a spotlight on recent lobbying efforts made by the telecommunications and consumer electronics industries to convince the Trump administration to draw back regulations on smartphone use while driving. 

Reviewing government data on the tragic recent spike in roadway fatalities, Rosenberger argues that this rise is at least in part attributable to drivers getting distracted by their smartphones and dashboard infotainment systems.  He further claims that the advent of the Trump administration marks a major shift in the debate over safety advocacy on smartphones and driving: before Trump, advocates called for greater safety regulations and design guidelines.  But now, in the time of Trump, advocates are concerned with protecting the few already-existing regulations and guidelines from repeal.

This article builds on a line of research Rosenberger has been developing for several years in which he uses insights from phenomenological philosophy to contribute to the empirical and popular discussion over the driving impairment that comes from using the phone while behind the wheel. 

See Rosenberger’s Slate article here:

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2017/12/yes_smartphone_use_is_probably_behind_the_spike_in_vehicle_related_deaths.html

For a selection of academic work and media coverage on this line of research, see:

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=6824304

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13347-017-0297-8

https://www.wabe.org/philosophy-distracted-driving-new-theory/