Alliance Presents Recommendations at DOT Distracted Driving Summit

WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers today told officials at the U.S. Department of Transportation's Distracted Driving Summit that appropriate laws with high-visibility enforcement, increased consumer education and continuing research are all needed to enhance driver safety. The Alliance also told the department that appropriate and effective action must also preserve future opportunities to enhance safety with technologies that depend upon wireless communications.

"Maximizing 'eyes-on-the-road' time is critical to drivers maintaining the necessary focus to properly control their vehicles," said Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers Vice President of Safety, Rob Strassburger. "That's why the Alliance supports the adoption and enforcement of a ban on texting while driving using a hand-held device and calling while driving using a hand-held device unless in hands-free mode."

"While we support action on this issue, we must be mindful that many future opportunities to advance safety rely on wireless communications," added Strassburger. "Wireless communications serve as the backbone for many new safety technologies including automatic crash notification, road hazard notification and real-time road navigation. Additionally, future technologies such as the Department of Transportation's IntelliDrive program will rely heavily on vehicles sharing information through wireless communications."

Automakers also highlighted their "Driver Focus-Telematics" guidelines, which are based on scientific research and provide criteria on the design, placement and functionality of in-vehicle information and communications systems. Originally developed in 2000, the guidelines are regularly updated as researchers' understanding of driver distraction evolves.

"It's important to keep in mind that when automakers design in-vehicle technology, it's designed to be used in a single environment -- the driving environment," added Strassburger. "From stage one, we design every feature to be used in a way that maximizes drivers' 'eyes-on-the-road' time."

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.