Alliance's Driver Focus Guidelines Highlighted at Nation's Premier Highway Traffic Safety Conference

PHILADELPHIA, April 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers' Driver Focus – Telematics (DF-T) Guidelines, an auto-industry initiated set of highly developed principles concerning in-vehicle technology, is being highlighted today at the Lifesavers National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities in Philadelphia; a gathering of thousands dedicated to reducing even further the nation's already historically low roadway fatality and injury rates.    

The DF-T Guidelines are a science-based set of principles voluntarily developed and implemented by automakers to ensure that in-vehicle technology is designed and installed in a way that helps drivers keep their "eyes-on-the-road."  The 24 principles were developed in consultation with ITS America, the Consumer Electronics Association, the National Safety Council, the Society of Automotive Engineers, AAA and as observers, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Transport Canada.

"Our guidelines are highly developed design and performance standards," said Alliance President and CEO Dave McCurdy.  "Automakers are committed to updating them as we continue learning more about driver behavior and about how drivers interact with their vehicles.  These guidelines help drivers keep their 'eyes-on-the-road.'"

For years automakers have worked to help drivers focus on the road.  In fact, by 2003 Alliance members had voluntarily developed and implemented these measures, which are divided into five groups covering everything from telematics installation to information presentation to how users interact with the systems.  All of the DF-T Guidelines are crafted to help drivers keep their "eyes-on-the-road," which is critical to safe driving.  One recent study, The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute's "100-Car" study, found that the odds of a crash or near-miss more than doubled when a driver's eyes were off the road ahead for more than two seconds.  The DF-T Guidelines ensure that vehicle features and functions can be operated with quick, interruptible glances, so drivers can focus on the road.

Automakers use laboratories, high-tech simulators, proving grounds and much more to design features that can be used in a single environment: the driving environment.  That means that while a vehicle is in motion, screens suspend automatically scrolling text or constantly-changing images, and directional guidance may be shown in static, easily-understood displays while a driver is driving rather than a complex or animated image that would require more attention.  The display size, lettering and icons, as well as the contrast and brightness, are designed to be easily legible to the driver.  In-vehicle displays may also automatically switch to a "nighttime" setting to improve visibility when the vehicle enters a dark tunnel, or when the headlights turn on at night.  In bright situations, an in-vehicle display's readability may be enhanced because the automaker has used glare-resistant material and a matte finish for the plastic viewing screen.  

For more information, and to see the full guidelines, visit the Alliance's Driver Focus Web site at www.autoalliance.org/driverfocusfacts.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a trade association of 11 car and light truck manufacturers including BMW Group, Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen.  For more information, visit the Alliance website at www.autoalliance.org.

SOURCE Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers