Canada studies distraction

13 October 2003: Canada is investigating strategies aimed at cutting down on driver distraction from the increased level of communications technologies available in today's cars.

Not only cell phones, but navigational systems and Internet access are problematic, according to a discussion document released by the country's transport minister.

The Transport Department says that while the introduction of hands-free operation for telematics devices is intended to reduce or eliminate the distraction due to manual operation of these units, a 'significant portion of the distraction associated with their use' may arise not from the manual manipulation of these devices but rather the cognitive consequences of their use.

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