DOT Rules Would Restrict Use of Car Info Systems
New Department of Transportation guidelines for car information systems, like navigation and hands free telephone systems, are aimed at preventing distracted driving. The new guidelines would restrict the driver’s ability to use navigation and other information systems while the car is in motion. The new rules would limit car features that distract drivers. The rules would be aimed at reducing the time it takes to perform certain tasks on the systems, reduce the complexity of performing the tasks, limit the driver to using one hand to perform the tasks, limit off road glances in performing information system tasks to 2 seconds or less, limit the amount of input information required to perform tasks, and reduce unnecessary visual information in the driver’s field of view. These proposed rules are a good start by the National Highway & Traffic Safety Administration, which oversees the Department of Transportation, in attempts to eliminate distracted driving caused by drivers fumbling with automobile information systems. The DOT says that distracted driving is a national epidemic with over 3,000 people dead in 2010 alone as a result of distracted driving.
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