US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the first-ever federally proposed guidelines for in-vehicle electronic devices to automakers, hoping to limit how distracted drivers can get by these new devices.

The proposed voluntary guidelines affects communications, entertainment, information gathering, and navigation devices or functions that are not required to safety operate a vehicle. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued out the guidelines hoping to establish a criteria for electronic devices installed by the manufacturer that require visual or manual operation by drivers.

“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.”

These new guidelines are the first in a series of guidance documents NHTSA is planning to issue, hoping to limit the use of distracting technology that requires the use of hands and/or diverting the eyes from the road. Some of the recommendations released in the first set of guidelines including limiting the device operation to one hand only. limiting unnecessary visual information in the driver’s field of view, and limiting individual off-road glances to no more than two seconds in duration.

In addition, it also recommends the disabling of operations such as visual-manual text messaging, internet browsing, social media browsing, 10-digit phone dialing, and displaying more than 30 characters of unrelated driving text.

NHTSA hopes to release a future phase that will have guidelines for aftermarket components such as portable electronic devices or navigation units, while a third phase will address voice-activated controls.

Peer pressure has a huge affect on teens. Smoking, drinking… even getting into a car accident.

According to two studies by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and State Farm, peer pressure from passengers can result in a car accident when a teen is behind the wheel. We know, it seems like a “duh, of course” kind of conclusion… did we really need a study to tell us that? But what researchers can now prove with studies like these is how peer pressures increases a teen driver’s crash risk.

“These studies help us understand the factors that may predispose teens to drive with multiple friends and how those passengers may contribute to crashes by distracting the driver and promoting risky driving behaviors, such as speeding, tailgating or weaving,” said Allison Curry, a study author. “Knowing this, we can develop programs that work in tandem with current graduated driver licensing laws that limit the number of passengers for teens during their first year of driving.”

In the first study, researchers found that the teens drivers that were most likely to drive with multiple passengers considered themselves thrill seekers and shared similar characteristics that would increase the likelihood of a car accident. The second study looked at teens involved in serious crashes, and drivers that had peer passengers were more likely to be distracted just before a crash.

In terms of male and female peer pressure driving habits, males that drove with passengers were about six times more likely to impress their friends by pulling illegal driving stunts and were twice as likely to drive aggressively just before a crash. Females, on the other hand, hardly ever drive aggressively prior to a crash – and that’s with or without passengers.

[Source: Autos.ca]

This distracted driving PSA isn’t meant to make you LOL, but it will have you saying OMG.

The Department of Transportation will be releasing its new public service announcement, titled OMG, in theaters and at gas stations nationwide, in the next month. This PSA is targeted to teens to remind them to put down the cell phone and stop texting while driving. Employing popular texting phrases like LOL and L8R, the ad shows the dangers that three little characters can potentially cause. And with the holiday season almost upon us – with all the vacation days, parties and high-tech gifts – this PSA is a sobering reminder of how little it takes to get into a car accident while texting and driving.

The PSA will be shown at Regal Cinema movie screens and PumpTop TV at gas stations. Or you can watch it after the jump.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

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Ford has just released the Do Not Disturb feature, a new technology that lets parents limit distracted driving habits teens are tempted with.

The new Ford MyKey Do Not Disturb feature allows parents to block their teens from receiving phone calls and text messages while driving. This means that young drivers can keep their eyes on the road instead of on their cell phones. The Do Not Disturb feature saves incoming calls and texts, so teens can check them after they stop the car.

This new Do Not Disturb feature adds another safety element to Ford’s programmable MyKey, which limit a vehicle’s top speed to 80mph and reduces the audio volume. Not only that, but this feature reminds drivers to use a seatbelt, provides earlier low-fuel warnings and can be set to sound chimes between 45 and 70mph.

“MyKey adds a new dimension to auto safety by giving drivers standard technology that encourages safer driving and limits their exposure to risk, regardless of age or experience,” said Peter Patzelt, Ford system architect for MyKey. “MyKey can give parents peace of mind when they hand car keys over to their kids, and ‘Do Not Disturb’ enables parents to control another risk factor when their child gets behind the wheel.”

The MyKey function will be available next year on the Ford Fiesta, and will later be available on other Ford car models.

Parents, if you want to set a good example for your teens while you’re teaching them how to drive, put down your cell phone. A new study out says that parents are prone to check their phones while teaching driving skills.

This study, which was conducted by State Farm, surveyed 517 teens and their parents to find out how teens learn to drive. The study found that 61 percent of teens say their parents have been distracted by their phone at least once while teaching them to drive. It goes on to say that 29 percent of teens say their parents have been distracted sometimes, often, or all the time while giving the driving lesson.

When talking to the parents, 53 percent of them admit to being distracted at least once while teaching their teens how to drive. And disagreeing with what their teens said,only 17 percent of parents say that they are distracted sometimes, often, or all the time.

When it’s the parent’s turn to drive, 54 percent of teens say they have seen parents talk while driving either sometimes, often, or all the time, while 43 percent of parents admit to doing it with their teens present.

Other interesting numbers to come out of this study include that 24 percent of parents and 30 percent of teens say they aren’t spending enough time learning how to drive. Teens need about 100 hours of driving practice before taking the car out on their own, and parents need to practice what they preach – which means paying complete attention to what their teen driver is doing behind the wheel.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Distracted driving isn’t just limited to texting and talking on your cell phone. Now, more than ever, there are so many things that can shift our attention from the road  like GPS units and MP3 players.

To cut down on all the potential distractions that surround you in your car, a company called ALPS has come up with a concept steering wheel that cuts out all those buttons and instead offers touch sensitive pads.

Designed to be safer for drivers, the ALPS wheel trackpad would let you centralize all of the commands you commonly use in your vehicle and put it right in the steering wheel. To check directions or change a tune, all it takes is the sweep of a finger, kind of like using a smartphone. This means you wouldn’t have to take your eyes off the road when you wanted to crank the volume on your stereo. In the future, the ALPS wheel trackpad could even incorporate handwriting recognition, which would make it much easier to type in directions to your GPS.

[Source: Oh Gizmo]

Sometimes a negative can really be a positive. Take the Blackberry outage that had users scrambling for a way to communicate earlier this week. It turns out that traffic accidents and fatalities fell drastically during that time period.

The three-day Blackberry service interruption and its effect on driving were especially evident in the Middle East. The National, a local English-language newspaper, reported that in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, accidents fell by 20 to 40 per cent.

“The roads became much safer when Blackberry stopped working,” said Brig. Gen. Hussein Al Harethi, director of the Abu Dhabi police traffic department.

In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, police said they noticed a significant decline in traffic accidents. The drivers most likely to be involved in distracted driving accidents are young men, and traffic accidents fell 20 per cent in Dubai and 40 per cent in Abu Dhabi. Even better news – there were no traffic fatalities during this time. Both countries have recently launched crackdowns on cell phone usage while driving, so this unplanned experiment couldn’t have happened at a better time.

It may take a few weeks to find out what the service interruption’s impact was on driving habits and accidents in other countries around the world.

[Source: Toronto Star]

Good news for parents – taking a stand against distracted driving, Sprint has just launched a new app that disables smart phone functions while driving.

The Sprint Drive First app locks your cell phone when the car is moving over 10 mph and sends calls automatically to voice mail. It won’t distract you with an annoying beep to let you know you just got a new email or text, and just to let the sender know you can’t get to your phone at the moment, the app sends out an automated, customizable message as a response. Once you come to a stop, the app can tell you’re not moving anymore, so it will unlock your cell phone. Even if you’re stopped in traffic, it won’t unlock your phone unless you’ve been sitting there for a few minutes.

If you want to override the app and turn on your phone, just hit the Exit or 911 buttons, but be warned teenagers – your parents will receive a notification. For even more control, parents can choose up to five numbers that can ring through the locked phone  and three apps that can still be used when the car is moving, such as GPS or a music player.

Sprint is the latest cell phone carrier to fight distracted driving with a dedicated app.  AT&T recently released a similar app for Blackberry users that sends an auto-reply to texts, emails and calls. And in January, T-Mobile unveiled an app that limits smartphone functions while driving.

Sprint Drive First will cost $2 a month and will only be available on Android. If you’ve got a Blackberry, don’t worry – a version of the app will be available for your phone in the near future.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

It’s surprising to learn that with all the information out there about the dangers of distracted driving, according to a recent Virginia Tech study, it is still responsible for 80 percent of all car crashes. And the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that distracted driving is the main factor for about 5,500 automotive fatalities annually. It seems like we just can’t put down our cell phone or stop fiddling with the radio settings while we drive.

By making a few small adjustments to your driving routine, you can prevent distracted driving accidents, as well as pass on good driving behaviors to younger drivers who are in the car with you. Here are a few tips to keep in mind before you start the car.

•     Before heading out, pick your radio station, choose your playlist, and turn on the air conditioning or heating.

•     Make your phone calls or send text messages before leaving the driveway. A hands-free device is legal, but it’s still best to focus all your attention on the road ahead. If you do need to make a call, pull over before dialling.

•     Set your course in your GPS ahead of time and look it over to familiarize yourself with the route.

•     Leave in plenty of extra time so you won’t have to rush.

•     If you’re travelling with pet, keep them safely secured in the backseat where they won’t be a dangerous distraction.

•     Check to see if there are any loose items rolling around in the car and pick them up off the floor

•     Try to eat before you leave the house. If you spill something while driving, wait to clean it up until you reach your destination.

•     Your rear view mirror is not meant to be used to help you put on makeup or shave. Take care of your personal grooming before leaving the house.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

The Cars franchise is about more that just marketing and merchandising. In fact, the characters of Cars 2 (in theaters June 24) has teamed up with the Department of Transportation (DOT), to help fight distracted driving with a new public service ad.

Staring Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater, the 30-second PSA is called, “Only the bad guys drive distracted.” Basically, it reminds drivers of a very important message: “No calling, no texting. Nothing that can take away your focus.”

This PSA can be seen in more than a dozen countries and various languages. As well, DOT is working on using the ad as part of the Make Roads Safe campaign for global road safety.

This isn’t the first time the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has worked with Disney on driving safety campaigns. You may remember the re-release of Cinderella in 2005 urging parents to fit their children properly in booster seats.

You can watch the Cars 2 PSA after the jump.

[Source: Consumer Reports]
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