Fully Networked Car Workshop in Geneva to Focus on Driver Distraction

Calling all cars: more than one-quarter of all auto accidents are caused by drivers using hand-held devices while on the road. According to distraction.gov, a U.S. government website aimed at combating distracted driving, cell phone use delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.

To address this worldwide problem, managing driver distraction will be the focus of the upcoming workshop, The Fully Networked Car, at the International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, on March 2-3, 2011. Now in its sixth year, the event brings together the key players behind the standards and technologies that help give the green light to the next generation of automobiles. The workshop is organized by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

Distracted driving includes cell phone use, texting while driving, and using in-vehicle information and communication systems and portable electronic devices. Standards and design guidelines for these systems and devices can help decrease distraction and allow drivers to turn their focus to the road ahead.

Advancements in information and communications technology (ICT) have come a long way in taking stressful diversions out of driving: many of today's cars can foresee and avoid collisions, steer clear of traffic jams using up-to-the-minute traffic reports, and identify the nearest open parking space. Standards are crucial to ensuring that these and other emerging automotive technologies support the safety of drivers and passengers alike.

The workshop will tackle such questions as:

• How is driver distraction measured and what standards exist to assess distraction?

• What regulatory aspects must be considered in the development of international standards to reduce driver distraction?

• What evolution of network platforms (e.g., vehicles and ad hoc networks) should be expected, and what impact will this have on global standards?

• Which new policies and standards have emerged for the environmental impact of electric vehicles and ICTs?

• What are the requirements for existing and new wireless systems to support fully networked cars?

The Fully Networked Car welcomes experts and executives from the automotive industry, ICT community, standards developing organization, government, research and development institutes, and academia. The workshop will be accompanied by an exhibition that will showcase the latest technologies and concepts in the field.

For additional program and registration details, click here.