The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends simplifying in-car interactive operations and changing radio stations within 12 seconds

According to foreign media reports, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently issued new guidelines to prevent drivers from being distracted by operating related in-vehicle equipment while driving.

It is reported that NHTSA has issued specific recommendations to encourage the automotive industry to adopt in-vehicle device interfaces that can reduce the interference of in-vehicle devices on drivers and simplify visual/manual interaction operations.

The U.S. government hopes to achieve the desired results through this guideline: drivers can take their eyes off the road and fiddle with the in-vehicle infotainment system for no more than two seconds at a time. When operating in-vehicle devices such as changing songs and selecting radio stations on the radio, the operation tasks must be completed within 12 seconds.

At present, the regulatory authorities have required companies in other industries (mainly engaged in in-vehicle devices and APP platforms) to also comply with these rules, including smartphone and tablet manufacturers, as well as APP developers. In addition, the proposal also includes some rules, such as: it is recommended that smartphone or tablet manufacturers set up dedicated car interfaces and dedicated car drivers, mainly for the pairing of mobile devices and in-vehicle interfaces, and that the car does not need to enter numbers and letters in driving mode, which can help drivers concentrate.

It is reported that the mainstream Android Auto system and Apple CarPlay in-vehicle system on the market can pair smartphones and in-vehicle devices. Car owners only need to operate in the user interface on the in-car infotainment screen to enable the car to share the functions of the mobile device. A few weeks ago, Google launched a new version of the Android Auto system. A driving interface will appear on the smartphone or tablet computer installed with this system, so that cars that do not support direct pairing can also have many of the same functions.

“NHTSA is aware that technologies have been developed that can detect whether a driver or passenger is using a device,” the guidelines state. “These technologies are being refined to accurately detect whether a device is being used by a driver or passenger while not being overly annoying or unusable.”

Previously, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reviewed some technologies that claim to achieve this goal. One of them is to detect wireless signal areas monitored by portable devices. Through these wireless signal areas, smartphones or tablets can detect when the driver uses a mobile device. Another is to install capacitive sensors in the seats to detect which seat is using a portable device, and then send a signal to the portable device to activate the driver mode.

“These common-sense guidelines are based on the best available research and will help mobile device designers design products that reduce distracted driving,” said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.