Automakers Pressured to Curb Distracted Driving

Federal regulators are asking car makers to either stop integrating built-in features like online connections that encourage drivers to look away from the road, or to make it impossible for drivers to use those features while the car is in motion.

The guidelines, issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, are tricky for automobile manufacturers, however, since commuters increasingly depend on access to mobile technology while in the car. A recent study found 30 percent of drivers under age 30 text while behind the wheel, and 63 percent of them used a cell phone while driving.

Many states, including New York and California, passed laws banning hand-held talking and texting behind the wheel, but if adapted, the NHTSA's guidelines would become the first federal mandate.

Since not every state has the same legal guidelines for cell phone use, automakers are left with a tough decision: build cars without features drivers want and face the potential of decreased sales in a lagging economy, ignore federal safety guidelines, or build different makes and models for each state, increasing manufacturing costs.

Still, with rising rates of accidents caused by texting and talking behind the wheel and several states unwilling to change laws, the NHTSA is using its clout to appeal to the auto industry. The NHTSA also says distracted drivers react at the speed of a person at the legal limit for drunk driving, and that drivers who text are 23 times more likely to get into an accident than those who don't.

"We recognize that vehicle manufacturers want to build vehicles that include the tools and conveniences expected by today's American drivers", NHTSA administrator David Strickland said. "The guidelines we're proposing would offer real-world guidance to automakers to help them develop electronic devices that provide features consumers want --without disrupting a driver's attention or sacrificing safety".

Even with help from the auto industry, drivers will continue to use external devices, and though test programs last year proved higher fines and increased oversight by law enforcement effectively decreased distracted driving, not all states have yet been willing to change laws.

The NHTSA has no direct authority to compel automakers to adopt its recommendations, but the organization is determined to have an impact. The guidelines for automakers are only the first phase of its three-part plan of action, and phase two will address "devices or systems that are not built into the vehicle but are brought into the vehicle and used while driving".

The recommendations are subject to public debate during a 60-day period, with forums taking place in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. before issuing the revised guidelines.

Until then, automobile manufacturers might face increased public scrutiny and regulatory pressure to join the fight to make American roads safer.