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Regulations, Guidelines & Enforcement

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 Papers, polls, Q&A items, and comments on this page are oriented to topics and issues associated with alternatives for controlling the design or use of in-vehicle technologies. Feel free to post comments on issues outlined below, or in response to papers, polls, and/or questions submitted to our expert panel. A moderator has been assigned to periodically synthesize comments, keep discussions focused and moving, emphasize key points, and offer additional insights into related issues.

DISCUSSION ISSUES/TOPICS

Regulations & Enforcement

  • Should there be restrictions on the conditions under which a driver can use a technology? Should such restrictions be controlled through the design of the device or regulations on driver behavior?
  • How effective are reckless driving laws in preventing crashes related to driver distraction?
  • Are there effective methods to enforce regulations on use?
Safety Principles and Industry Practices
  • Are existing principles and industry practices providing adequate controls (e.g., European Commission Statement of Principles, Japanese JAMA Guidelines, Proposed SAE 15 Second Rule)?
  • Is there a need for formal standards on the design or use of in-vehicle technologies? In what areas?
Research Needs
  • What are the important unanswered questions regarding regulations, guidelines, and enforcement? What knowledge gaps need to be filled in order to develop appropriate guidelines or regulations? How effective are these sorts of controls?

 

Content Available In Each Topic Area

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comments
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Regulations & Enforcement
             51comments   1   
Safety Principles and Industry Practices
            
  Development of Safety Principles for In-Vehicle Information and Communication Systems   5/31/00 1:11:58 PM

  What revisions would NHTSA like to see made to SAE's so called "15 second rule" proposed recommended practice?   7/27/00 6:20:27 AM
Michael   Goodman

NHTSA has in the past and will continue to support the development of recommended practices like the 15-second rule. NHTSA recognizes the considerable efforts of the SAE Safety and Human Factors Committee on the development of this recommended practice. Moreover, since the 15-second rule is currently under revision, it is unclear what the next version of the rule will contain. Most generally, NHTSA does not know what specific changes should be made to the 15-second rule. There are several reasons for this position. First, the revision to the rule must represent a compromise that will be agreeable to a strong majority of the committee charged with development of the recommended practice. NHTSA does not presume to know what changes will create the compromise that will be acceptable to the majority of committee members. Second, NHTSA believes that there is insufficient direct empirical evidence on which to make specific recommendations for revision to the most recent 15-second rule. Third, NHTSA is not sufficiently familiar with production procedures, which place constraints on the type of testing that can be done on a given in-vehicle technology. However, there are several changes to the rule that NHTSA believes may help improve the chances of developing a strong compromise. First, the most-recent version of the rule only applies to one type of system. Clearly, guidelines are needed to address other types of systems and it should be decided whether these needs can be addressed in a single rule or whether a set of rules is needed. NHTSA believes that care should be taken to ensure that the 15-second rule is not applied to systems to which it was not intended. Second, NHTSA believes that the static condition defined in the most recent version of the 15-second rule is misleading in that it may lead people to believe that drivers can safely take their eyes and attention away from the roadway for 15 seconds. NHTSA believes the rule should be changed in such a way as to eliminate any confusion about this misinterpretation. Additional suggestions based on research to assess the quality of the 15-second rule are presented in the NHTSA report titled, "Driver Distraction with Wireless Telecommunications and Route Guidance Systems" posted on NHTSA's web site at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/include/crash-avoidance/DriverDistraction/ .

(Question submitted to Michael Goodman, and Response prepared by Thomas Ranney, Transportation Research Center; and Elizabeth Mazzae, NHTSA)


  Driver distraction in the European statement of principles on in-vehicle HMI: a comment   7/28/00 12:38:32 PM

comments   Cellphone Companies, Liable???   8/1/00 8:08:08 PM

comments   RE: Cellphone Companies, Liable???    8/2/00 10:28:39 AM

comments   15-second rule ?   8/8/00 1:09:23 PM
Research Needs