Auto Safety Regulators Seek a Driver Mode to Block Apps - The New York Times

Check the full article for details on some apps and usage contexts such as CarPlay that already restrict app usage while driving

"Apple iPhones and other hand-held devices have long had an airplane mode that shuts off wireless communications to prevent interference with the vast electronics systems that control modern aircraft.

Now federal auto safety regulators want makers of these devices to add a driver mode to modify or block certain apps and features to keep a driver’s attention on the road.

The initiative comes in the form of voluntary guidelines that will be issued Wednesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. They arrive amid a spike in traffic fatalities in the last two years and increasing concerns about the distractions posed by smartphones and the many apps that Americans are using while behind the wheel."

Auto Safety Regulators Seek a Driver Mode to Block Apps - The New York Times