cuts for cancer @ HAUS AUTO GROUP

cuts for cancer @ HAUS AUTO GROUP

NHTSA claims power to regulate smartphones in cars, will issue guidelines next year

Damon Lowney  |  1 Hour Ago

Comments (6)

Back in April, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released voluntary guidelines covering the use of in-car infotainment and communications in the hopes that automakers would reconfigure their systems to make them safer. But on Tuesday, NHTSA administrator David Strickland said at a congressional hearing that the administration has the authority to set vehicle smartphone guidelines and will release new voluntary guidelines next year, casting a wider net than the ones released in April, The Detroit Newsreports. This marks the first time NHTSA has said it has the authority to regulate portable devices, including smartphones, under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Striking a balance between too little and too much regulation is crucial to facilitate technological innovation in vehicles, though automakers reportedly want some sort of official direction from NHTSA. "It is an evolving area of technology. We believe that guidelines gives us the ability to find the margin of safety and still keep innovation," Strickland said in an interview with The Detroit News.

NHTSA will work with device manufacturers, application developers and the telecommunications industry on the implementation of the portable device guideline, "to make sure all of these things are working in the proper zone of safety," according to The Detroit News.

BLACK FRIDAY SALES EVENT !!! Come check it out one day only save thousands !!

Chevy Corvette Stingray picks up another award, this time from Automobile

The new Chevrolet Corvette Stingray has picked up another buff book accolade after capturing Road and Track's Performance Car of the Year award. The seventh-generation of America's sports car (sorry Viper, Mustang, et al.) has been named Automobile Magazine's Automobile of the Year.

Automobile's award to the Corvette over competitors is the mirror image of its rival Motor Trend, which named the Cadillac CTS its car of the year over the C7. The CTS was, according to the Automobile team, the closest contender to the mighty Stingray. Great news all around for General Motors it seems. 

As for what pushed the Corvette past its distant, four-door cousin, Automobile commended its excellent, 6.2-liter V8 calling the car's performance "simply awesome" while also remarking that it is easier to drive fast than ever before thanks to steering and chassis tweaks. Following a theme set by other publications, there were also plaudits for the interior, of all things, with the buff book complimenting the car's ergonomics and material quality, while also praising the standard seats.