DETROIT — The government wants smartphone makers to lock out most apps when the phone is being used by someone driving a car.
The voluntary guidelines unveiled Wednesday are designed to reduce crashes caused by drivers distracted by phones.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also wants automakers to make infotainment systems easy to pair with smartphones.
Drivers could still make calls, but the phones and automaker systems would lock out the ability to enter text. Internet browsing, video not related to driving, text from books, and photos also would be locked out. Navigation systems would be permitted, but with guidelines on how to avoid driver distraction.
Fatal crashes caused by distracted drivers are on the rise, and that’s contributing to a spike in traffic deaths during the past two years.