New technology can be extremely beneficial. However, relying solely on technology to make up for laziness can have a high price. Many cars are now coming with crash avoidance technology, which may increase the reckless behavior of some drivers and increase car accidents when the technology fails.

This technology can have definite benefits, but it may also provide a false sense of security, causing some drivers to depend on the technology to prevent an accident when a driver is simply being reckless. Some drivers might use the technology to steer their cars back on the road when they are texting and driving with their knees. If the technology was 100 percent effective, maybe cars would drive themselves, but these new devices are only meant to assist in emergencies and they don't always work in certain conditions.

Sometimes road conditions prevent sensors that could keep your car within the lines on the road from working properly. That means if the lines are covered by snow, or even if the sun is at the wrong angle, preventing the sensors for working, and someone is relying on them to drive, they could fail unsuspectingly.

Because this technology is not 100 percent effective, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to endorse its use. Ultimately, the responsibility of safety on the road lies with the driver. If drivers start to rely on these new technologies to do all the driving for them, there will be more accidents when the technology fails, potentially injuring others on the road.

Source: New York Times, "Trying to Nudge Drowsy Drivers," Randall Stross, Jan. 21, 2012