Texting While Driving: No One Can Do It Safely

September 01, 2010

It seems simple: Texting while driving is dangerous. Not just for new drivers who are still teenagers, but for everyone – no matter how long they’ve been behind the wheel. No one can safely drive while distracted by a phone or texting device in their hands. As automakers, we agree with that. And we agree that keeping drivers focused on the road is one of the most important things we can do to keep highways safe for all of our families. That’s why we support efforts to ban text messaging with a hand-held device or making a phone call on a hand-held device when the user is driving.

We support the direction of legislation that motivates states to ban using a hand-held device to text or call while driving. For example, Senator Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia has introduced legislation that would provide grants to states that adopt laws prohibiting drivers from using hand-held devices to text or call. And, among other things, his legislation would establish a distracted driving education initiative.

We also understand that reducing distracted driving on our roads takes more than just laws. It will take enforcing those laws in a visible way that people will notice. And, it requires that we educate people – not only on how distracted driving laws are aggressively enforced – but also on the dangers of driver distraction.

Experts agree that keeping eyes on the road as much as possible is essential to driving safely. It’s hard to argue against that. In fact, a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that the odds of a crash or near-miss more than doubled when a driver’s eyes were off the road ahead for more than two seconds.

Our industry’s taken the lead in helping drivers focus on the road: by 2003 the Alliance worked with others to voluntarily develop and put into place Driver Focus Guidelines covering how we’re designing vehicle features to help drivers maintain focus on the road.

We look at things like where displays are mounted; they need to be high enough in the vehicle so drivers can continue seeing the roadway with their peripheral vision, even while quickly glancing at the display. We’ve also had our engineers build the guidelines to cover other important aspects as well: when features can and can’t be used; how drivers can quickly interact with in-vehicle features when needed; and much more.

Unlike “nomadic” devices – the items our families bring into a car -- automaker-integrated features are designed to be used in a single environment: the driving environment. Something you or I buy in a shopping mall was never designed to be used while driving.

And in cases when an automaker gives people an opportunity to connect one of these devices into their vehicle, it’s designed to be used in a way that helps the driver keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. So, instead of having to reach around the vehicle and search for their music player, or reach for their ringing phone to see if it’s an important call, a connected device can get the information to the driver with minimal distraction – through an in-vehicle, easy-to-read, integrated display a driver can quickly glance at – when the conditions are right. When the driving conditions are right, an integrated system can answer the call and lower the radio volume all in one step – right when the driver accepts the call.

We’ve learned that digital technology has created a connected culture in America that has forever changed our society – it’s hard to go back; so managing technology is the solution. We know that drivers are going to have conversations, listen to music and read maps while driving. So, the challenge to the men and women in the auto industry is helping them do it more safely with technology that’s integrated into the vehicle.

And tomorrow’s safety enhancements will build on what we have today. Right now modern automobiles offer GPS systems to help us get our kids to baseball practice and emergency crash notification to save lives. Future safety innovations will be based on the wireless connection among cars. We’ll have the possibility of “Intelligent Transportation Systems” that will allow vehicles to “talk” to each other, and the roadway, to give drivers updated information about nearby crashes and road conditions.

But no matter what innovation is in our automobile, we all need to begin every day with the intention to drive safely, remembering that autos give us great mobility, but along with that benefit comes great responsibility to be vigilant every second behind the wheel.

Charles Territo
Senior Director of Communications
Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
1401 Eye St., NW Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005
202-326-5523
twitter: @charleyterrito