Department of Transportation
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Question: If your cellphone buzzes with an SMS message while you're driving, what do you do? Choose from: a) Ignore it and read it later when you stop b) Take a glance, just to see who it is; or c) Read it, reply, check your Facebook and plow through the window of your local 7-Eleven. If you answered "a" then the Department of Transportation's new guidelines on distracted driving probably won't be much of an issue. If you answered "b" or "c", then they might be of some use. The new guidelines will aid carmakers in preventing in-car devices from becoming too much of a distraction for drivers...
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The DOT Needs Volunteers For Its V2V Technology Program
In May, we told you that the U.S. Department of Transportation was rolling out a new program to test vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology. If you live in one of the six cities where that's taking place, you have a chance to participate -- and earn a small sum of cash. What is V2V tech? In a...
Richard Read -
Ray LaHood Wants Less Tech In Cars, More Ads About Distracted Driving: Video
You can call U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood many things, but "slouch" isn't on the list. At a time when computing and social media are expanding to fill every corner of our daily lives, LaHood is pushing back, urging automakers to limit the technology included in new cars. Not only...
Richard Read -
Ford Takes Its Talking Vehicles On The Road
While EVs and plug-in hybrids may be drawing most of the headlines these days, there's another tech development on the horizon that could bring bigger changes for drivers -- and the planet. Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology is a promising, affordable solution to many of today's transportation...
Richard Read -
Six Cities Named For New Vehicle-To-Vehicle (V2V) Communications Trials
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication, V2V for short, is nothing new. In fact, automakers and governments alike have been working on the technology for the past several years. Most V2V systems work by warning drivers about potential danger from other vehicles. They do this by exchanging information...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Dallas, Minneapolis, San Francisco Become Part Of DOT's 'Talking Car' Project
We all know about the growing popularity of collision avoidance systems. As recently as this week, we've even heard about developments on the autonomous car front. Problem is, most of those systems depend on vehicles going it alone, using radar and other technology to avoid hazards in their way...
Richard Read -
Got A Great Idea To Make Driving Easier/Greener/More Fun? Enter The Connected Vehicle Tech ChallengeRichard Read
There are thousands of tech developers out there, trying to make driving more fun, more efficient, and less frustrating. Apps like DriveSafe.ly, Parking In Motion, and Waze are the fruits of their labor. But there are just as many folks with great ideas for improving the roadways who don't have the connections or coding skills to put their thoughts into apps. Thankfully, the Department of Transportation has launched a contest just for them: the Connected Vehicle Tech Challenge. The Challenge hinges on the use of technology called dedicated short range communications, or DSRC. You can think of...