The New York Times reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration “formally urged carmakers on Thursday to stop equipping automobiles with entertainment and navigation systems that can distract drivers,” specifying that the proposed guidelines were not meant to stop the features, but rather make their designs safer. Transportation Secretary LaHood said, “The choice between ensuring drivers are safe and including cutting-edge features in cars is false.”
USA Today adds that under the guidelines, “drivers could not ‘visual-manual’ text message, browse the Internet, look at their Facebook accounts, key in an address into the navigation system, input a phone number or see more than 30 characters of any incoming message unless the car is stopped and out of gear.” The NHTSA will hold hearings on the country on the proposed rules, according to USA Today. NHTSA Administrator David Strickland commented, “There are some automakers that have no strategy at all” for device safety.
From the American Association of Justice press release.
