According to several news reports, US safety regulators hope to have limits imposed on car touch screens to auto manufacturers in order to keep drivers from being distracted.
The reports indicate that the government is urging automakers to develop infotainment systems and other dashboard touch screens with restrictions and limits on how often the driver may interact with them while behind the wheel. Distracted driving issues could pose a serious threat to everyone sharing the road with the distracted driver.
According to recent reports, the U.S. traffic safety regulators disclosed new guidelines that hope to restrict the interaction and decrease the amount of time certain tasks take to finish once the driver has requested an action with the use of the touch screen. Complex and simple functions and the time it takes for them to be performed should soon meet federal standards, the agency reported, in order to keep drivers from being distracted.
The official release shows that regulators also want to propose bans on manual text entry and the display of social media and other websites, as well as books or text that could pose serious distraction hazards to drivers.
If the car is moving, regulators say, there’s no need for the technology to offer any kind of text or website display.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 3,000 people were fatally wounded in auto accidents that happened due to distractions in 2011. Over 387,000 people were injured also as a result of accidents caused by distractions.
Some critics say that even if there are more restrictions and the federal agencies begin to regulate the touch screens in infotainment systems present in vehicles, distracted driving will continue to be an issue. According to some of these critics, the cell phone ban has done little to improve safety and force people to put the phone down, regulations concerning the touch screen systems would have the same effect. Voluntary guidelines are not being tested, according to the NHTSA. These guidelines will be phased in about three years from now.
According to a recent study that was used by NHTSA regulators to come up with the guidelines for automakers and the manufacturing of touch screens, the risks associated with distracted driving increase when drivers have touch screens, handheld devices or other displays working while they are behind the wheel.
The idea is to come up with new guidelines that would address the issue associated with the array of entertainment capabilities infotainment systems provide for drivers when the vehicle is moving.
The guidelines would also be updated to address other distraction concerns. While navigation systems would still be allowed, voice-activation technology could be affected by the new guidelines.
Hopefully, federal agents and lawmakers are looking into this issue with focus and dedication in order to make sure they come up with guidelines that keep drivers safe.
For the full article and more details on these potentially new regulations, follow this link.
