I've been following some of the news about the guidelines the US government proposed last week aimed at reducing distracted driving, and I'm not really sure what to make of them.
I feel like there is a disconnect here, as if there are a few missing pieces of information. Is the government simply restating the obvious standards all auto companies are already -- and should be -- considering? Have they gone far enough to address the issue? Could this spark even more innovation in an industry where the need to integrate our increasingly mobile lifestyle with highway safety standards is becoming more evident?
In her column last week, Barbara Jorgensen wrote about the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issuing a series of proposed guidelines, which "encourage automobile manufacturers to limit the distraction risk for in-vehicle electronic devices." (See: Guidelines Aim to Reduce Distracted Driving.)
The auto trade organization, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said in a statement:
The Alliance Guidelines provided valuable input in current NHTSA efforts to address driver distraction issues. While NHTSA drew heavily on that input in developing the NHTSA Guidelines, it did incorporate a number of changes in an effort to further enhance driving safety, enhance guideline usability, improve implementation consistency, and incorporate the latest driver distraction research findings.
The organization went onto say:
Keeping eyes on the road and hands on the wheel is clearly the priority. Digital technology has created a connected culture in America that has forever changed our society. Consumers expect to have access to new technology, so integrating and adapting this technology to enable safe driving is the solution. Drivers are going to have conversations, listen to music and read maps while driving, and automakers are helping them do this more safely with integrated hands-free systems that help drivers focus on the road.
Agreed. But, what does this mean? What kinds of hands-free systems could be in the pipeline? How involved are electronic suppliers in designing these new specs? We all know what a lucrative market this stands to be.
Maybe on Monday we'll hear some novel ideas. Next week, Ford Motor's executive chairman Bill Ford Jr. will be on stage at the Mobile World Congress talking about technology innovation and the "motoring experience." Ford will be one of the first keynotes at the marquee event, and it marks the first time he will deliver a keynote technology speech in Europe.
I'm not surprised to see him on the agenda. I've noticed a lot more Ford ads on Barcelona television, indicating to me that the American car company is trying to build a stronger European presence. And, last year, a number of chip companies were on the show floor talking about how their technology will be used in cars, among other things.
What's more striking, though, is just how interdependent all these industries have become. A car executive keynoting at a mobile phone event? With new driving-car manufacturer guidelines being phased in, maybe that couldn't come soon enough.
Jenn, How much of all these is being driven by companies and their suppliers and how much is customer driven? Is the government more in the driver's seat of imposing regulations to enhance safety or are customers also as concerned?
WaqasAltaf - Ah, yes, the cost of doing something like the safety interlocks @prabhakar mentioned. True, most things have an impractical side when weighing the manufacturer's total costs, easy-of-use for consumers, and government safety issues. Not sure where the compromise should be.
Prabhakar - You may be on to something with the safety interlock. More big brother kind of stuff, but actually sounds like something that could be a useful early-warning system.
Stochastic - You may be right. If recommendations are aimed at reducing the input function and not at somehow changing the visual interaction, drivers will still be distracted.
Barbara - You raise a good point, and I can completely reated to your Mom. With all this hyperconnectivity, it's hard to find one quiet place. Would love to see a car company market something like that.
"checking the driver's eye balls and giving if audio alerts when he gets distracted and so on."
Such features, you are advising, would be very expensive to implement if even practicable. The question is, whether the car manufacturer are able to sell cars at an acceptable price after installing such functions. Is it practicable that every driver on road be taught about these advanced functions to be used and regulations to be followed?
Well I think government can play a role. It can recommend traffic police officials to catch violators. I can impose safety regulations that need to be complied by the manufacturers if they are to put the product on market; i.e. by restricting them to install all necessary functions that are helpful in maintaining driver's concentration if he wants to use tech devices while driving. Orientations programmes for people applying for licenses is another way to ensure safety regulations are followed.
I suspect the types of interlocks that you suggest are planned in the implementation, but hte guidelines aren't going to be so detailed as to define how to accomplish it.
In case of any issue related to distracted driving, it is not only the distracted driver (and his vehicles occupants) who are at the risk of an accident, but they can also be the cause of accident to the vehicles following, leading or in the side lanes.
Hence such issues caanot be left to just guidelines , but there have to be safety interlocks put in by the technology built into the vehicles so that such distracted driving does not happen.
Such safety interlocks could be in the form of disabling such features when the vehicle is in motion, checking the driver's eye balls and giving if audio alerts when he gets distracted and so on.
Natural disasters wreak havoc to the tune of $100 billion in annual damages, says a UN report. To cope, companies need improved risk management strategies.
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Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
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Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
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Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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