distraction

Fed driver distraction guidelines make navigation unusable

Last month, the National Highway Transportation Safety Agency published a dense document with guidelines for automakers on how to minimize the distractions caused by in-vehicle electronics. Buried among equations for determining optimal display viewing angles and testing procedures is the recommendation that navigation devices should only show static or near-static images, which would essentially eliminate their usefulness.

Section V.5.b of the document titled Visual-Manual NHTSA Driver Distraction Guidelines for In-Vehicle Electronic Devices says that "Dynamic, continuously moving maps are not recommended."

The section, which deals with photographs or videos, says that static or near-static maps for … Read more

Device & Conquer: Distracted Driving

Distracted Driving: Is it the scourge of public safety, or the new normal? What we know is that it's here and its going to grow. Fast.

In this episode of Device & Conquer, Brian Cooley gives us a quick look at the history of understanding distracted driving, what you can do to take control of reducing it in your life, and how the U.S. government may step in to handle that for you. It's the story of driving today. … Read more

Car Tech Live 251: U.S. goes after in-dash car tech (podcast)

Feds issue strongest position yet against distracting car tech, Tesla Model X has us excited, and confounded. Is Washington state penalizing electric car drivers? And we drive the 2012 Subaru Impreza.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 251 SHOW NOTES

Aftermarket device takes control of distracted driving

An aftermarket device now available to consumers could put an end to distracted driving.

CellControl has released an anti-distracted-driving technology to the consumer market that automatically blocks specified mobile phone features and applications when a paired vehicle is in use. The technology has been used in the U.S. since 1996 mostly by commercial driving fleets that need to track and monitor drivers. Today the Louisiana-based company announced that it has partnered with automotive aftermarket retailer Scosche to sell the device to consumers.

To use the solution, customers download and install CellControl's software onto a driver's phone, and … Read more

Why headphones are hazardous to your health

Several new headphones exhibited at CES last week featured an ambient noise boost, by which the user is able to hear the surrounding world without removing the 'phones. Such a feature may not only prove convenient--it could also save lives, according to a new study tracking headphone-related pedestrian injuries and deaths.

Serious injuries to pedestrians who are listening to headphones more than tripled between 2004 and 2011, researchers from the University of Maryland report in the journal Injury Prevention.

The team analyzed case reports from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Google News … Read more

NTSB calls for stricter bans on cell phone use while driving

The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that states ban the use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices while driving.

The five-member board unanimously agreed to the recommendation today, according to a press release. Specifically, the agency is recommending that the ban apply to both hands-free and handheld phones. Several states have already passed laws restricting text messaging while driving and many require drivers use hands-free devices while talking on the phone. The NTSB's recommendations go far beyond these current restrictions.

The NTSB doesn't have the authority to actually impose restrictions, but its recommendations often influence … Read more

New tech blocks texting from driver's seat

Using a vehicle's existing Bluetooth and audio technology, researchers have figured out how to block smartphone use by people behind the wheel, while passengers can text, talk, and tweet away.

Distracted driving is being tackled by state legislators, mobile carriers, and auto manufacturers with a disjointed collection of laws, apps, and hands-free technology. But wouldn't it be a lot easier if smartphones can tell when the their owner is behind the wheel of a car and just shut down all the tempting features?

Mobile operators such as Sprint and T-Mobile are employing technology to do something similar, but … Read more

Ford's MyKey automatically turns on Do Not Disturb

Teenagers may have a hard time ignoring a ringing phone while driving, so Ford will do it for them. Ford is making the Do Not Disturb setting a requirement for teen drivers using MyKey.

The Do Not Disturb setting is an anti-distracted-driving feature available on Sync with MyFordTouch or MyLincolnTouch. When selected, Sync automatically sends all incoming calls from a Bluetooth paired phone to voicemail, and stores new text messages for later viewing. Ford is giving parents the ability to make this option mandatory for their teen driver by adding it to MyKey.

Compared with adults, teens are more likely to speed and less likely to wear their seatbelts, which can be a deadly combination in an accident.… Read more

Dim everything but media in Chrome or Firefox

Cinemas dim the lights during showings to help eliminate distractions, making it easier for you to focus on what you came to see. With media sites like YouTube, it's easy to become distracted by the other content on the page like the recommended videos or comments sections. And let's face it, not all videos look good in full-screen mode due to low resolutions. Wouldn't it be nice if you could dim the lights on the rest of the page to cut out the distractions? Well, there happens to be an add-on for Firefox and Chrome that does … Read more

Track your family with a new app

If you're a parent with some overly active children, you may want to consider the SecuraFone application.

SecuraTrac, a company more used to creating small personal emergency alarms for senior citizens and patients, is trying its hand at a mobile application called SecuraFone. It plans to launch the app--which will be available for the iPhone, as well as on Android, and eventually on BlackBerry and Windows Phone smartphones--later this month. The service will cost $8.95 a month.

SecuraFone doesn't break new ground with its features, but it does bundle them together in a tidy package. The application … Read more