Visual-Manual NHTSA Driver Distraction Guidelines for Portable and Aftermarket Electronic Devices |
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Daniel C. Smith
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
February 12, 2014
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8533-8535]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-03064]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
[Docket No. NHTSA-2013-0137]
Visual-Manual NHTSA Driver Distraction Guidelines for Portable
and Aftermarket Electronic Devices
AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Announcement of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: Through this notice, NHTSA is announcing a public meeting to
bring together vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, portable and
aftermarket device manufacturers, portable and aftermarket device
operating system providers, cellular service providers, industry
associations, ``app'' developers, researchers, and consumer groups to
discuss technical issues regarding the agency's development of Phase 2
Driver Distraction Guidelines for portable and aftermarket devices.
DATES: Public Meeting. NHTSA will hold a public meeting on March 12,
2014, in Washington, DC. The meeting will start at 1 p.m. and continue
until 5 p.m., local time. If you would like to attend the public
meeting, please contact the person identified under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT no later than March 3, 2014. If you would like to
present technical remarks, please contact the person identified under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT no later than March 7, 2014.
Remote Viewing. Remote viewing will be available via web, please
check http://www.distraction.gov the day before the meeting on March
11, 2014 for instructions on how to connect.
Written comments. Please submit all written comments not later than
May 12, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Meeting. The March 12, 2014, public meeting will be held at
the U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building Ground Floor,
Media Center--Room W11-130, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC
20590. This facility is accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Written comments. You may submit comments to the docket number
NHTSA-2013-0137 by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: 202-493-2251.
Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and
docket number. Note that all comments received will be posted without
change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal
information provided. Please see the Privacy Act discussion below.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time or to
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal Holidays. Telephone: (202) 366-9826.
Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000, (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or you may visit
http://www.dot.gov/privacy.html.
Confidential Business Information: If you wish to submit any
information under a claim of confidentiality, you should submit three
copies of your complete submission, including the information you claim
to be confidential business information, to the Chief Counsel, NHTSA,
at the address given under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. In
addition, you should submit two copies, from which you have deleted the
claimed confidential business information, to Docket Management at the
address given above. When you send a comment containing information
claimed to be confidential business information, you should include a
cover letter setting forth the information specified in our
confidential business information regulation (49 CFR Part 512).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about
registering for the public meeting, please contact Dr. Julie Kang, U.S.
Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, email: julie.kang@dot.gov; telephone: (202)
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366-5677; facsimile: (202) 366-8546; mail: National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC
20590.
For questions about technical issues concerning the Phase 2 Driver
Distraction Guidelines, you may contact Dr. Christopher Monk, U.S.
Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, email: chris.monk@dot.gov; telephone: (202) 366-5195,
facsimile: (202) 366-8546; mail: National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue Southeast, West Building,
Washington, DC 20590. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for more detail.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Registration is necessary for all attendees.
Please provide the following information to Dr. Kang no later than
March 3, 2014: Name and affiliation, and please indicate whether you
require accommodations such as a sign language interpreter or
translator. Space is limited, so advanced registration is highly
encouraged. As noted in Public Meeting Procedures, attendees will be
given the opportunity to offer technical remarks but there will not be
time for attendees to make audio-visual presentations during the
meeting. Attendees wishing to make technical remarks should register
with Dr. Kang by March 7, 2014. Note: we may not be able to accommodate
all attendees who wish to make oral remarks. Should it be necessary to
cancel the meeting due to inclement weather or other emergency, NHTSA
will take all available measures to notify registered participants.
You may learn more about the current (Phase 1) NHTSA Guidelines by
visiting the Department of Transportation's Web site on distracted
driving, www.distraction.gov, NHTSA's Web site, www.nhtsa.gov, or by
searching the public docket (NHTSA-2010-0053) at www.regulations.gov.
Background
NHTSA is concerned about the effects of driver distraction on motor
vehicle safety. Crash data show that 17 percent (an estimated 899,000)
of all police-reported crashes involved some type of driver distraction
in 2010. Of those 899,000 crashes, distraction by a device or control
integral to the vehicle was reported in 26,000 crashes (3% of the
distraction-related police-reported crashes).
In June 2012, NHTSA released a ``Blueprint for Ending Distracted
Driving,'' summarizing steps that NHTSA intends to take to eliminate
crashes attributable to driver distraction. This document was an update
of the ``Overview of the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration's Driver Distraction Program'' that was released in
April 2010 (both documents available at www.distraction.gov).
One of the steps called for in both of these documents is the
development of nonbinding, voluntary guidelines for minimizing the
distraction potential of in-vehicle and portable devices. Since 2010,
NHTSA has stated that guidelines would be developed in three phases.
The first phase covers visual-manual interfaces of electronic devices
installed in vehicles as original equipment and was released for public
comment in February 2012. The final version of the Phase 1 Distraction
Guidelines was published in April 2013. The second phase will include
visual-manual interfaces of portable and aftermarket devices. NHTSA is
currently developing its proposal and this public meeting will inform
that proposal. The third phase will expand these guidelines to include
auditory-vocal interfaces.
In 2013, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) initiated a
Working Group to develop industry-based recommended practices for
portable electronic devices used by drivers in vehicles (formally named
R6 WG18 Driver-Device Interface Working Group). The voluntary
recommended practices are intended to address the issue of driver
distraction related to the use of portable electronic devices. The
recommendations are intended to be used by consumers, portable
electronic device manufacturers, software developers, and any other
interested parties to improve the safety of driving and non-driving-
related task performance. NHTSA was invited to participate in this
activity and has sent liaisons to the working group meetings since its
inception. To aid this process, NHTSA has provided explanations and the
rationales for aspects of NHTSA's Visual-Manual Driver Distraction
Guidelines, as well as participated in discussions regarding applying
those basic principles to the complex multi-part ecosystem of portable
electronic devices. The working group has stated that it will use the
principles that NHTSA established with its Phase 1 Guidelines to guide
its work.
Driver Distraction Guidelines
The NHTSA Driver Distraction Guidelines are meant to promote safety
by discouraging the introduction of excessively distracting devices in
vehicles. On April 26, 2013, NHTSA issued the first phase of these
guidelines.\1\ The Phase 1 Guidelines cover original equipment (OE) in-
vehicle (i.e., integrated) electronic devices that are operated by the
driver through visual-manual means (i.e., the driver looks at a device,
manipulates a device-related control with his or her hand, and/or
watches for visual feedback from the device). The Phase 2 Guidelines
will apply to portable and aftermarket devices that are operated
through visual-manual means and will be based on the same general
principles as the Phase 1 Guidelines, namely:
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\1\ 78 FR 24817 (Apr. 26, 2013).
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The driver's eyes should usually be looking at the road
ahead,
The driver should be able to keep at least one hand on the
steering wheel,
Any task performed by a driver should be interruptible at
any time,
The driver should control the human-machine interface and
not vice versa, and
Displays should be easy for the driver to see.
Public Meeting
To support NHTSA's development of the Phase 2 Distraction
Guidelines, NHTSA is hosting a public meeting to bring together vehicle
manufacturers and suppliers, portable and aftermarket device
manufacturers, portable and aftermarket device operating system
providers, cellular service providers, industry associations, ``app''
developers, researchers, and consumer groups to discuss technical
issues regarding the agency's development of Phase 2 Driver Distraction
Guidelines for portable and aftermarket devices. NHTSA will present an
overview of the Phase 1 Driver Distraction Guidelines as background for
its presentation on the key technical issues in Phase 2. Industry
associations will have the opportunity to present their own efforts to
produce guidelines or recommended practices for portable and
aftermarket devices that could be used by drivers inside the vehicle.
The meeting will also include three panels of invited experts
addressing the following technical topics: (1) vehicle and portable/
aftermarket device pairing, (2) driver mode, and (3) advanced
technologies such as heads-up displays and those that automatically
distinguish between devices used by drivers and passengers.
The meeting will be open to the public, but participation in the
expert panels will be limited and by invitation only in order to ensure
that all of the topics can be addressed in the time available. However,
the floor will be open to those attendees who pre-registered to offer
brief technical
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comments. Anyone, including those persons who wishing to supplement
their oral comments, may submit written comments.
Draft Agenda
1. Welcome and Opening Remarks
2. Technical Background for the Phase 2 Distraction Guidelines--
NHTSA
a. Phase 1 Distraction Guidelines Overview
b. Technical Approach to the Phase 2 Distraction Guidelines
3. Industry Efforts--Industry Associations
4. Panel 1: Pairing
a. Introduction of the topic--NHTSA
b. Invited technical experts on pairing
c. Questions and discussion by NHTSA and panel members, and remarks
from attendees
5. Break
6. Panel 2: Driver Mode
a. Introduction of the topic--NHTSA
b. Invited technical experts on driver mode
c. Questions and discussion by NHTSA and panel members, and remarks
from attendees
7. Panel 3: Advanced Technologies
a. Introduction of the topic--NHTSA
b. Invited technical experts on advanced technologies
c. Questions and discussion by NHTSA and panel members, and remarks
from attendees
8. Wrap-Up--NHTSA
Panel Topics
NHTSA has identified three major areas related to portable and
aftermarket devices that the agency would like to discuss at the public
meeting. The first topic is that of pairing devices with the vehicle's
electronics, whether through wired or wireless connection. Many newer
vehicles already offer this capability and NHTSA sees it as an
important topic to address. The second topic is related to unpaired
devices, and the implementation of ``driver mode'' on the device.
Driver mode is a simplified user interface that is intended to minimize
distraction experienced by a driver using that device. Finally, a third
topic relates to a broader set of questions surrounding advanced
technologies, including heads-up displays and the capability of
portable and aftermarket devices and the vehicle system to
automatically distinguish whether a device is located in the driver's
position or a passenger's position. The invited panelists will be asked
to speak to the following topics and related issues.
1. Paired--NHTSA wants to hear views on using pairing of portable
and aftermarket devices as a means for focusing the drivers'
interactions through the in-vehicle controls and display system. NHTSA
is also interested in learning about new developments in the pairing or
connecting of devices with the vehicle's electronics, and how pairing
or other similar technologies that connect devices and the vehicle will
progress into the marketplace.
2. Driver Mode--NHTSA would like input on current and future driver
mode systems. Specifically, what are the potential barriers and
proposed solutions faced by mobile carriers, operating system
providers, and application developers to adapt an overall system where
all applications available in driver mode offer a simplified user
interface? NHTSA is interested in any general information on the usage
rates of current driver mode implementations. In addition, NHTSA would
like to hear about any driver modes that are automatically initiated
when the vehicle is moving.
3. Advanced Technologies--NHTSA is eager to learn about new
developments in portable device technologies that use advanced display
features such as heads-up displays and how they relate to the scope of
the Phase 2 Guidelines. NHTSA is also interested in technology to
determine the location of portable and aftermarket devices within the
vehicle, thereby automatically determining whether the device is
operated by the driver versus passengers while driving.
The panels will be made up of invited technical experts from
vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, portable and aftermarket device
manufacturers, portable and aftermarket device operating system
providers, cellular service providers, industry associations, or
``app'' developers that can provide information and insight on the
selected topic. It is envisioned that each panel will have three
speakers, each speaking for about 10 minutes, with an additional 20
minutes for discussion between panelists and NHTSA, and prepared
technical remarks from attendees.
Background information concerning the Driver Distraction Guidelines
in particular and the problem of distracted driving in general is
available at http://www.distraction.gov/.
Public Meeting Procedures
NHTSA will conduct the meeting informally. Thus, technical rules of
evidence will not apply. We will arrange for a written transcript of
the meeting. For planning purposes, attendees that wish to make
technical remarks after each panel should anticipate speaking for
approximately five minutes, although we may need to shorten that time
if there is a large number of people wishing to provide remarks. Once
we learn how many people have registered to provide technical remarks,
we will allocate an appropriate amount of time to each speaker,
allowing time for necessary breaks. We request that you bring three
copies of your technical remarks or other material to the public
meeting. To accommodate as many speakers as possible, speakers will not
be able to use audio-visual aids or computer slideshows. Attendees
wishing to provide supplementary written information should submit it
to the address given above for written comments by the May 12, 2014,
deadline for those comments. Written statements and supporting
information submitted during the comment period will be considered with
the same weight as oral comments and supporting information presented
at the public meeting.
Issued in Washington, DC under authority delegated by 49 CFR
1.95.
Daniel C. Smith,
Senior Associate Administrator for Vehicle Safety.
[FR Doc. 2014-03064 Filed 2-7-14; 4:15 pm]
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