Feds Confront Gray Area On Distracted Driving Regulation

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Feds Confront Gray Area On Distracted Driving Regulation 


Federal officials’ crusade against distracted driving faces a major snag: U.S. regulators are unsure who can set rules on how cell phones are used behind the wheel. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is limited to regulating vehicle equipment, not mobile devices brought in by occupants.


The Federal Communications Commission has authority over mobile phones but doesn’t deal with the risks of their use in vehicles.  “There is actually a regulatory doughnut hole,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland, speaking last month in Detroit. 


The agency has some authority if the cell phone has a vehicle-specific app, such as one that controls door locks, he said. NHTSA also can regulate the software and hardware that connects vehicles and cell phones. “But we can’t regulate it as a phone,” Strickland said. It’s unclear which federal regulatory agency, if any, has the power to restrict cell phone use on the road, such as requiring a lock-out feature that disables certain functions while the vehicle is moving, Strickland said. But it’s a policy question Congress eventually will have to settle, he said. 


For now, the regulatory ambiguity means automakers and suppliers are free to use their best judgment to give customers what they want without interference from U.S. regulators. 


Until the next Czar is appointed by President Obama with his/her own agenda of controlling our freedom, try to set your phone aside while you're driving and police yourself - rather than the government making this a nanny state. What are your thoughts?