Transportation Department unveils distracted driving guidelines in US

The US Department of Transportation wants automakers to disable many applications that allow drivers to manually access social media, surf the Internet or text while driving if doing so distracts the driver. It also wants to prevent manufacturers from installing any in-car technologies that require a driver to use both hands or take his eyes of the road for more than two seconds to use them. These include visual-manual text messaging, internet browsing, social media browsing, navigation systems with destination entry by address, visual-manual 10-digit phone dialing and displaying text of more than 30 characters that are unrelated to the driving.

The DOT released its recommendations today, in an effort to deal with the problem of distracted driving, which the head of the department, Ray Lahood, has made a priority.

“Distracted driving is a dangerous and deadly habit on America’s roadways; that’s why I’ve made it a priority to encourage people to stay focused behind the wheel,” said Secretary LaHood. “These guidelines are a major step forward in identifying real solutions to tackle the issue of distracted driving for drivers of all ages.”

The guidelines are voluntary and are the first of a series of documents that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) plans to release to deal with the issue of distracted driving. It is considering future regulations to deal with devices or systems that are not built in but are brought into the vehicle, such as tablets and smartphones.

NHTSA is working on a study to determine the dangers of phone use by drivers, both handheld and hands-free. Distracted driving is known to be responsible for more than 3,000 deaths in 2010, but NHTSA believes there many more deaths are unreported.  ighHifh