Archive for the ‘distraction’ Category

The dangers of distracted driving are top of mind these days, what with recent studies on the risks, a Department of Transportation summit meeting, and even automakers speaking out against it.

A Congressional bill would cut highway funding to states that do not ban using handheld devices behind the wheel, as 17 already have. Ford now tout hands-free calling as a safety feature, and is rapidly spreading the Sync system that includes it throughout its range of vehicles.

Voice location moves

Now a Stanford University researcher has proposed a way to get drivers engaged in hands-free conversations to pay more attention when needed: Alter the...

Targeted ads on the Internet—for a product related to what you're reading about—are one thing. But what about targeted ads on billboards, using data about what kind of car you're driving? That's what was tried in the U.K., where motorists were shown ads advising them of the proper Castrol motor oil to use in their vehicle.

And no, the system used in this case wasn't quite smart enough to be able to automatically identify makes and models from sight alone.

One of several issues here is that the ads used vehicle registration data, and the breach has privacy watchdogs up in arms. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, or DVLA—the U.K....

At a meeting on auto safety organized by the U.S. Transportation Department, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood this morning reported on the dangers of distracted driving. His figures were grim: last year, almost 6,000 traffic fatalities and 515,000 injuries were linked to driver distraction.

The goal of the two-day "distracted driving summit" is for the assembled experts to draw up a list of recommendations that can be presented to Congress. Ultimately, LaHood hopes to see those recommendations implemented in legislation to restrict drivers' ability to talk on cell phones or text-message behind the wheel. LaHood has compared the meeting...