New voluntary guidelines for Apple, Samsung and others encourage system that blocks app and text use, but allows navigation and music

US regulators are seeking to reduce smartphone-related vehicle deaths with a new driving-safe mode that would block or modify apps to prevent them being a distraction while on the road.



The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are to issue voluntary guidelines for smartphone makers, which will seek to restrict the apps and services accessible on a smartphone being used by a driver.

US transport secretary Anthony Foxx told the New York Times: “Your smartphone becomes so many different things that it’s not just a communication device. Distraction is still a problem. Too many people are dying and being injured on our roadways.”

The NHTSA is hoping that Apple, Samsung and other popular smartphone manufacturers will adopt the guidelines in future smartphone and software releases. The so-called driving mode will block distractions such as social media, messages or email, stop the use of the keyboard for communication activities and also restrict access to websites, video and distracting graphics.

The intention is that the driving mode will be adopted in a similar manner to the airplane mode common to most smartphones and connected devices, which restricts radio communications while airborne. Airplane mode has been a feature of smartphones since 2007.

While the NHTSA cannot force manufacturers to follow the guidelines, previous guidelines concerning the design and use of navigation and entertainment systems built into cars have seen wide adoption and implementation.

The guidelines for smartphones call for features able to differentiate between drivers and passengers within cars, so that only the driver is shown a simplified and restricted view. They also request a connection between smartphones and in-car controls such as steering wheel buttons, to remove the need to interact with the screen.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Data from the NHTSA shows that 3,179 people were killed and 431,000 were injured in crashes involving distracted driving in 2014 in the US. Photograph: Christof R Schmidt/Getty Images/F1online RM

Such driving modes are already implemented within certain Android smartphones, including Samsung models, but they are not compulsory and are up to the users to activate.

Simplified driving mode interfaces are also a feature of several smart in-vehicle mounting options, which aim to collect navigation, music and other driving orientated features into a large button interface that is easier to at arms length and less distracting.

One example isn Google’s Android Auto, which was until recently restricted to dedicated built-in systems but is now available for many Android smartphones. Apple’s CarPlay, which connects an iPhone to the car’s built-in infotainment system, restricts app use to features involved in navigation and music.

In the UK, use of a mobile phone and other handheld devices while driving is prohibited, but the law is less clear over the use of navigation devices. It states that drivers “must exercise proper control of their vehicle at all times” and that they should “not be distracted by maps or screen-based information (such as navigation or vehicle management systems) while driving”.

In the US, accidents caused by distracted driving are considered to be on the rise as the attraction of using apps, games and messaging while on the road has grown.

Data from the NHTSA shows that 3,179 people were killed and 431,000 were injured in crashes involving distracted driving in 2014 in the US, while the number of people texting or using handheld devices while driving is increasing reaching 2.2% of drivers.

While legislation can go some way to curbing use, action from technology companiesis thought to be crucial to both educate drivers and provide a viable alternative to stop distracted driving.