Highway Safety Officials Want to Limit the Gadgets on Your Dashboard to Prevent Distracted Driving
Is your dashboard too distracting? The federal government seems to think so, which is why last week the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed voluntary guidelines for car manufacturers with a recommendation that they design dashboards in a way that automatically disables distracting devices when the car is in motion. High-end car manufacturers have been fully-loading the dashboards of new models with GPS, web surfing, texting and all kinds of crazy bells and whistles that could potentially distract drivers.
“We recognize that vehicle manufacturers want to build vehicles that include tools and conveniences expected by today’s American drivers,” NHTSA administrator, David Strickland, said. “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.”
As a personal injury lawyer in Fort Worth, I’m for almost anything that will force drivers to focus on the road instead of their cellphones and other devices, because I know that distracted drivers are dangerous drivers. The proposed guidelines make sense to me – just don’t take away my ability to use a GPS and we’re good.
What do you think – are dashboards becoming overloaded with too many gadgets? Do you think anything in your car could distract you enough to cause a car accident? It’s definitely possible. I’ll be curious to see whether auto makers take the new suggestions into account when building new cars.
