NHTSA denies petition to make in-vehicle technology inoperative while driving

Jul 16, 2008

On June 3, NHTSA denied a petition (.pdf file) from the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety asking the agency to initiate rulemaking that would require all vehicle-integrated personal communication systems to become inoperative when the vehicle is in motion.

CAS officials said the goal is to "make the driving environment safer by reducing the availability of devices that have been proven to be hazards." They said the request was spurred by the increasing use of built-in communication technologies that can result in distracted driving and related crashes. The organization also pointed to a number of states that have enacted legislation to restrict cell phone use or other wireless devices.

In a report on the denial (.pdf file) of the petition, published in the June 3 Federal Register, NHTSA outlined existing policy for addressing distracted driving in addition to ongoing research addressing the safety problem. The agency said Washington-based CAS did not provide information or analysis showing that the requested rule would result in safety benefits. NHTSA officials also said if integrated cell phones and other telematic devices were inoperative, drivers would instead use their own cell phones.