Alliance Announces Support for Ban on Hand-Held Text Messaging and Hand-Held Calling While Driving

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers today announced its support for banning text messaging using a hand-held device or calling using a hand-held device while driving a motor vehicle, saying the visual/manual task interferes with the attention a driver needs to safely operate an automobile.

"Clearly, using a hand-held device to text or call while driving is a safety risk," said Alliance President and CEO Dave McCurdy. "That makes it incompatible with maintaining the focus necessary to safely drive a vehicle, and the Alliance supports a ban on hand-held texting and calling while driving to accelerate the transition to more advanced, safer ways to manage many common potential distractions.

"Alliance member companies have long recognized the risks of distracted driving. That's why automakers voluntarily developed and implemented guidelines for integrated advanced information and communications systems," added McCurdy.

Driving will always involve the use of vehicle technology. Drivers must be able to perform multiple functions safely, whether it is turning on the windshield wipers, the radio or the climate control while driving. Automakers have designed these vehicle features to be operated safely by considering their location, their operation as well as the interaction between the driver and the feature. As was shown by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute "100 Car Study," minimizing eye-off-the-road time is critical to the design of any feature. But clearly, texting on a hand-held device while driving is challenging the ability of most drivers to perform the function safely and should be banned.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a trade association of 11 car and light truck manufacturers including BMW Group, Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen. For more information, visit the Alliance website at www.autoalliance.org.

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