Car companies do not have to keep up with the rest of society in making it easier to access social media, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is arguing.
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, LaHood said he is urging auto companies that report to the Department of Transportation to not add features to computers in their new cars that make it easier to distract drivers. Some car companies have added applications for social media websites to onboard computers that are often used for navigation and performance monitoring.
"There's absolutely no reason for any person to download their Facebook into the car," U.S. LaHood said in an interview with the newspaper. "It's not necessary."
LaHood said that BMW has agreed to launch a public service announcement campaign to discourage not just texting, but tweeting or facebooking, behind the wheel. Subaru has also made a similar agreement, the newspaper reported.
LaHood has made minimizing the use of cell phones in cars a signature of his tenure as Transportation secretary.
Last week, he praised Maine for becoming the 33 state to ban texting while driving.
"Distracted driving kills thousands of people every year on our roads and injures hundreds of thousands more,” LaHood said Friday in a statement. “By signing this tough texting ban into law…Gov. LePage has taken a crucial step to improve safety and save lives on Maine roads."
He admitted to the Wall Street journal however that the trend toward computerization of cars opened up a new front in his fight against distracted driving.
"We know people are hooked on cellphones and texting devices." he told the paper.
Source: The Hill
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, LaHood said he is urging auto companies that report to the Department of Transportation to not add features to computers in their new cars that make it easier to distract drivers. Some car companies have added applications for social media websites to onboard computers that are often used for navigation and performance monitoring.
"There's absolutely no reason for any person to download their Facebook into the car," U.S. LaHood said in an interview with the newspaper. "It's not necessary."
LaHood said that BMW has agreed to launch a public service announcement campaign to discourage not just texting, but tweeting or facebooking, behind the wheel. Subaru has also made a similar agreement, the newspaper reported.
LaHood has made minimizing the use of cell phones in cars a signature of his tenure as Transportation secretary.
Last week, he praised Maine for becoming the 33 state to ban texting while driving.
"Distracted driving kills thousands of people every year on our roads and injures hundreds of thousands more,” LaHood said Friday in a statement. “By signing this tough texting ban into law…Gov. LePage has taken a crucial step to improve safety and save lives on Maine roads."
He admitted to the Wall Street journal however that the trend toward computerization of cars opened up a new front in his fight against distracted driving.
"We know people are hooked on cellphones and texting devices." he told the paper.
Source: The Hill
No comments:
Post a Comment