Wireless industry trade associations are pushing back against proposed federal guidelines on safety features on handheld devices to prevent distracted driving, Insurance Journal reported today. An automaker trade group took a more positive stance.

U.S. highway safety officials last week called for voluntary guidelines under which device makers would block some video displays and prevent manual text entry while vehicles are in motion.

"As millions of Americans take to the roads for Thanksgiving gatherings, far too many are put at risk by drivers who are distracted by their cell phones," U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said Nov. 23.

"These commonsense guidelines, grounded in the best research available, will help designers of mobile devices build products that cut down on distraction on the road."

The DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking public comments on the proposals.

The Consumer Technology Association, which represents device makers, told Insurance Journal in an email that the guidelines are "extreme."

"This regulatory overreach could thwart the innovative solutions and technologies that help drivers make safer decisions from ever coming to market," CTA CEO Gary Shapiro said in the statement.

"NHTSA doesn't have the authority to dictate the design of smartphone apps and other devices used in cars—its legal jurisdiction begins and ends with motor vehicle equipment."

CTIA, which represents wireless service providers, criticized the proposal as "the wrong approach for consumers."

"A regulatory path" can't keep pace with efforts to reduce distractions "whether they arise from interacting with mobile or embedded devices or other activities like eating," Tom Power, CTIA general counsel, said in an e-mailed to Insurance Journal.

Carmakers took a different view. The NHTSA proposals for handheld devices come three years after similar guidelines were issued for systems built in to vehicles.

A spokesperson for Ford said the company still is reviewing the proposal but is "encouraged NHTSA is looking at multiple factors beyond the vehicle to address driver distraction."

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers "will carefully review these guidelines," a spokesperson said in an email to Insurance Journal.

"It's important to encourage drivers to use in-vehicle systems rather than handheld personal electronic devices that were not engineered for use in the driving environment," the spokesperson said. http://bit.ly/2goskJZ

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