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Reducing Driver Distractions is Everyone's Responsibility

18 July 2000

Reducing Driver Distractions is Everyone's Responsibility

 
    WASHINGTON - The following is a statement by Josephine S. Cooper, President 
and CEO, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, regarding driver distractions:

    "The safety of our highway transportation system is a critical interest
for all Americans.  Alliance member companies are committed to advancing motor
vehicle safety through developing safety systems with real-world benefits.
Many motorists want in-vehicle communication systems for very good reasons.
Telematics -- the use of electronics and communications technologies to
provide guidance and information to the driver -- makes travel time more
productive and improves personal safety and security.  Through telematics, it
is possible to quickly summon medical help to a crash scene, locate stolen
vehicles, obtain real-time traffic advisories, and report impaired or
aggressive drivers.  Concern about the potential distractions from such
communications systems, therefore, must be weighed against their safety
benefits and consumer demand for them.

    "Driver distraction has been a concern since the first driver got behind
the wheel. Responding to changes on the road must be the driver's top
priority, but a driver typically balances this with conversations with other
passengers, thinking about work or home, dealing with small children, eating,
and sometimes operation of in-vehicle telematics devices. All these elements
contribute to a driver's visual and cognitive workload.

    "The Alliance and its members recognize the challenge of meeting the
demands of consumers, who want the use, safety, and security of telematics,
balanced with the implications of driver distraction and information overload.
We believe that vehicles should be designed to minimize the potential for
driver distraction, and automakers have been doing so in many ways.

    "While automakers remain committed to making even safer motor vehicles, we
must rely on drivers to share responsibility for safety on our roads. All
drivers must exercise vigilance and use these safe-driving practices. Always
wear your seat belt and be sure that others are properly restrained in a
restraint appropriate for their age and size. Identify the location of
signals, wipers, and lights in a vehicle before driving it. Plan your routes
in advance and allow plenty of travel time. Pull off the road in a safe and
legal area before addressing disruptive children, engaging in complex or
emotional conversations with passengers or over the phone, and refrain from
eating while driving. Reducing driver distractions is everyone's
responsibility."

    The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a coalition of 13 car and
light truck manufacturers. Alliance member companies have approximately
600,000 employees in the United States, with more than 250 facilities in 35
states. Alliance members represent more than 90 percent of U.S. vehicle sales.