The debate continues on "distracted driving". I trimmed out a bunch of un-related advertising, etc. If this ends up munging the text, let me know and I will send as simple text. -- 73, Greg, K0GW ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: IEEE Spectrum ComputerWise Newsletter <computerwise@ieee.org> Date: Wed, Feb 22, 2012 at 10:08 AM Subject: U.S. Transportation Agency Issues Guidelines for Gizmos in Cars To: gpwidin@comcast.net ** *February 22, 2012* U.S. Transportation Agency Issues Guidelines for Gizmos in Cars<http://www.mmsend10.com/link.cfm?r=132195681&sid=17728922&m=1819897&u=IEEENY&j=9160563&s=http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/green-tech/advanced-cars/us-dot-issues-gadget-guidelines-for-cars> *by Bob Charette, an IEEE Spectrum contributing editor, writes the Risk Factor blog. As a self-described "risk ecologist," he investigates the impact of the changing concept of risk on technology and societal development.* On 16 February, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced a new set of voluntary guidelines meant to “encourage automobile manufacturers to limit the distraction risk for in-vehicle electronic devices.” The guidelines cover all devices that are not necessary for the safe operation of a vehicle by the driver—including those for communication, entertainment, information gathering, and navigation. It will be interesting to see how closely the automotive manufacturers follow these guidelines, considering that last year, for example, Volkswagen described its vehicles as “rolling computers” and said that connecting consumer electronics to its vehicles’ systems was a high priority. The DOT’s three-phase plan calls for electronics that a driver could see or access to be disabled when a car is in gear and the implementation of “voice-activated controls to further minimize distraction in factory-installed, aftermarket, and portable devices.” How do automakers see the guidelines? “Basically, any task behind the wheel that takes more than 2 seconds to complete or can’t be completed in a couple of brief chunks would be locked out or would be prohibited,” says a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. *Read more.<http://www.mmsend10.com/link.cfm?r=132195681&sid=17728923&m=1819897&u=IEEENY&j=9160563&s=http://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/green-tech/advanced-cars/us-dot-issues-gadget-guidelines-for-cars> * ADVERTISEMENT