NHTSA Issues Proposed Driver Distraction Guidelines, Seeks Comments

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued, and is seeking comments on, the its proposed NHTSA Driver Distraction Guidelines, which cover original equipment in-vehicle device secondary tasks (communications, entertainment, navigation, etc. not required to drive) performed by the driver through visual-manual means (the driver manipulates a device-related control with the driver’s hand and watches for visual feedback). The Guidelines recommend that those in-vehicle devices be designed so that they cannot be used by the driver to perform such tasks while driving. NHTSA also specifies a test method for measuring the impact of task performance on product safety, and recommends that devices that do not meet acceptance criteria also be designed so that they cannot be used by the driver while driving. Comments should be submitted early enough to be received by the docket no later than April 24, 2012.