Skip to main content

US DOT proposes guidelines to address driver distraction

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released proposed guidelines today to help address driver distraction caused by mobile and other electronic devices in vehicles. The announcement covers the second phase of voluntary guidelines to address driver distraction on US. roads. The first phase focused on devices or systems built into the vehicle at the time of manufacture. The proposed, voluntary guidelines are designed to encourage portable and after
November 25, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s 834 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released proposed guidelines today to help address driver distraction caused by mobile and other electronic devices in vehicles. The announcement covers the second phase of voluntary guidelines to address driver distraction on US. roads. The first phase focused on devices or systems built into the vehicle at the time of manufacture.

The proposed, voluntary guidelines are designed to encourage portable and aftermarket electronic device developers to design products that, when used while driving, reduce the potential for driver distraction.

The guidelines encourage manufacturers to implement features such as pairing, where a portable device is linked to a vehicle’s infotainment system, as well as Driver Mode, which is a simplified user interface. Both pairing and Driver Mode will reduce the potential for unsafe driver distraction by limiting the time a driver’s eyes are off the road, while at the same time preserving the full functionality of these devices when they are used at other times.

Related Content

  • May 2, 2012
    Cost-effective driver drowsiness detection
    Bosch has revealed that its driver drowsiness detection system, first introduced as a standard feature in 2010, in the new Volkswagen Passat is being fitted to the new Passat Alltrack. Fatigue and microsleep at the wheel are often the cause of serious accidents. However, the initial signs of fatigue can be detected before a critical situation arises, and the Bosch system can do this by monitoring steering movements and advising drivers to take a break in time. The required information is provided either by
  • November 4, 2021
    USDoT responds to death crash 'crisis' on roads 
    'First-ever' national safety-first roadway strategy comes as 20,160 die in first half of 2021
  • January 24, 2012
    In-vehicle automation of safety compliance and other traffic violations
    David Crawford explores new initiatives in enforcement. Achieving the EU’s new road safety target of reducing road traffic deaths by 50 per cent by 2020 depends on removing legal and institutional barriers to the deployment of new enforcement technologies, stresses Jan Malenstein. The senior ITS Adviser to Dutch National Police Agency the KLPD, and a European-level spokesperson on road and traffic safety, points to the importance of, among other requirements, an effective EUwide type approval process for fr
  • October 15, 2015
    Committee releases draft proposal on use of crash avoidance technology
    The US House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade has released a number of staff drafted proposals as part of the committee’s ongoing work to keep families safe on America’s roads. The staff draft includes proposals to: Incentivise the adoption of crash avoidance technologies and other connected vehicle technologies that improve roadway safety and fuel efficiency; Improve recall awareness; Increase privacy and security protections for motorists; and modernise the Nation