US government proposes “Driver Mode” to promote safer driving

The US Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed new federal guidelines aimed at reducing distraction while driving.

These guidelines recommend smartphone makers like Apple and Google to develop a special "Driver Mode" that can be used while driving.

Presumably, this "Driver Mode" would activate a simplified interface that would only allow users to access apps related to navigation and emergency services.

It would, however, prevent drivers from accessing apps like messaging and email, or anything else that can be distracting.

The NHTSA also said that technologies already exist that can reliably detect if a driver is using his or her smartphone while driving. However, further refinements are still needed to ensure that it doesn't hamper passengers' abilities to use their phones while in the car.

Using smartphones while driving remains to be a big problem. According to the NHTSA, in 2014, the most recent year in which detailed distracted driving crash data is available, 385 fatal crashes involved the use of a mobile phone.

In addition, driver distraction was responsible for 10% of fatal crashes, 18% of crashes causing injuries, and 16% of all traffic crashes in the United States.

That said, these are just guidelines at the moment and smartphone makers are not required to comply. But for the sake of all road users, I think they really should.

Source: Macrumors