LaHood said: "I don't want people talking on phones, having them up to an ear, or texting while they're driving."
Installing programmes
"The bottom line for me is to get where we're at with seat belts and with drunk driving," LaHood said. "When those programs were started, people were very sceptical that you could get people to buckle-up."
LaHood's campaign against phone use extends beyond drivers keeping hand-held units to their ears - he's targeted text messaging and Bluetooth, both of which he says distract drivers too much.
The study that LaHood is conducting could lead to regulation that would inhibit future growth of some features used by programmes such as Ford's Sync and General Motors' OnStar, depending on the findings.
Notably, OnStar recently announced plans to let drivers update their Facebook accounts while on the go. Ford says it wants to integrate social networking into its fleet soon, too.
"I'm absolutely opposed to all of that," LaHood said. "That would be the biggest distraction of all. All of that is well beyond the idea that you're really trying to avoid distracted driving."
Chrysler, meanwhile, has launched a cellphone app called 'TXT U L8r' that automatically responds to text messages with a "user is unavailable" message when the phone is connected to a car's Bluetooth device.
LaHood does plan to meet automakers to discuss how they will co-operate in his mission to limit distracted driving.
Right idea though?
However, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers - an industry lobbying group - says it is concerned that regulators might prohibit wireless links from operating in cars.
Alliance spokesman Wade Newton told Bloomberg news: "Our feeling is it's a matter of balancing what we know people are going to do anyway with what technology can help them to do safer in a vehicle. We know people are going to have conversations and look at maps and listen to music in a vehicle."
In addition, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety - an independent agency that conducts extensive safety tests - says it is concerned that LaHood is focused too much on reducing phone use. IIHS says its study of cellphone texting showed bans in four American states did not reduce the number of road accidents.
http://www.wheels24.co.za/News/General_News/Bluetooth-ban-being-planned-20101011