Rather than debating the issue, Ford Motor Co. is taking a proactive approach. The Dearborn, Mich., company has unveiled a new simulator called Virtual Test Track Experiment, or VIRTTEX, to study driver behavior. The company says it will ensure that new telematics technologies are developed with safety as the first priority.

In company’s 24-foot domed laboratory, Ford engineers are working with participants, age 40-80, to determine by way of simulated driving experiences what affect various everyday tasks have on driving performance.

Grade Level Driver Distraction Study
While sitting in the driver’s seat of a Ford Taurus, which is bolted inside the dome, a participant is exposed to simulated road conditions and terrain and asked to retrieve voice mail, access an electronic address book, or make a phone call. For example, while making a phone call a driver has to slam on the brakes in order to avoid hitting the car that has just cut in front. As the testing progresses, the tasks become increasingly more difficult, pushing drivers to the point of failure.

Ford Project Leader Jeff Greenberg told Associated Press that the results would help Ford determine how best to provide electronic devices and features that consumers want without compromising safety. He goes on to say, "If we analyze that and we become convinced that we just don't know how to minimize the distraction, the feature will be disabled while the car is in motion."

Ford expects to publish the results in the first quarter of next year.