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US Agency Aims To Regulate Map Aids In Vehicles

Posted by samzenpus on from the the-right-way-to-go dept.

An anonymous reader writes in with news about proposed rules regarding mapping technology used in cars.Many are in favor of rules that prevent texting while driving, but in-car navigation is a murkier legal area — how do you minimize distractions without limiting the ability to get from point A to point B? Like it or not, the US government may settle that debate before long. The proposed Grow America Act would let the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) set rules for dash-mounted GPS units, smartphone mapping apps and anything else you'd use for driving directions. While it's not clear what the NHTSA would do with its power, the Department of Transportation's voluntary guidelines ask for limits on eye-catching visuals (think videos) and interaction times; don't be surprised if these enter the rulebooks.

9 of 216 comments (clear)

  1. We want driverless cars TODAY! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This will all be wasted time once Google perfects the self driving car.

    1. Re:We want driverless cars TODAY! by darkain · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Much in the same way regulations for fuel efficiency are wasted because we have fully electric cars now....

    2. Re:We want driverless cars TODAY! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      We already have driverless cars today. Between women putting on make-up, men eating, and teens texting, quite a few cars on the roads today are driverless.

  2. What The?!? by realperseus · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Our government has better things to do than waste MY tax dollars on such nonsense! Sigh..

    --
    "Trusting every aspect of our lives to a giant computer was the smartest thing we ever did.." Homer Simpson
    1. Re:What The?!? by Ralph+Wiggam · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The rate of US car fatalities has plummeted 75% over the past 45 years, largely due to government mandates and the NHTSA. The hundreds of thousands of people who are alive today because of those actions probably don't consider it "nonsense".

    2. Re:What The?!? by Dishevel · · Score: 1, Insightful
      Because if Honda were allowed to sell cars without seat belts and airbags you would buy them.

      Regulations are rarely a good thing. Massive regulation is always a bad thing.

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
  3. WTF by kwiecmmm · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So what if someone else in the car is looking at the directions while you are driving? Will their ability to look at directions be significantly hampered?

    It is a good thing that these Congress people don't have any important things to worry about so they can focus on this ridiculous crap.

    In the mean time my car might just drive on an interstate with failing bridges, or into a tunnel with ceiling tiles that could fall at any moment, but focusing on this is obviously the best thing for Congress to do.

  4. Re:Overreach much? by mellon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This latter bit is a real problem in our Prius: you can't enter a destination without stopping. It lets you do other things, just not that. Really annoying, because it's almost always the case that when we need to enter directions, we're driving somewhere together. It would be nice if the NHTSA rules allowed for passengers.

  5. Re:stupid by wiggles · · Score: 1, Insightful

    > minimal burdens on the vast majority of law-abiding firearm owners

    In your eyes perhaps, but not in the eyes of the gun holding public.