NHSTA proposes guidelines for automakers to cut down distracted driving

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently proposed a set of guidelines to automobile makers that would decrease the number of distracted drivers across the country.

"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," said David Strickland, administrator of the NHSTA.

The guidelines would reduce visual or manual operations by drivers in cars, SUVs, pickup trucks, minivans and other vehicles weighing less than five tons. While these regulations would only be for smaller cars, these guidelines will also improve truck driving safety by reducing the number of distracted drivers on the nation's highways.   

A few things that would be outlawed by the new guidelines include visual-manual text messaging, internet browsing, social media browsing and 10-digit phone dialing.

Police in New York have really been cracking down on distracted drivers in the state, handing out nearly 120,000 tickets for drivers using their cellphones while driving, said New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

NHSTA proposes guidelines for automakers to cut down distracted driving

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012