Twitter, Facebook Join the List of In-Car Distractions

Drivers, start your engines—and log in to your Wi-Fi. Just be sure to put the car in park if you’re going to tweet or update your Facebook status. That’s essentially the auto industry’s response to government warnings that a proliferation of models equipped with Web access and other distractions will cause a spike in accidents.

As Audi, Nissan, General Motors, and Ford make a selling point of in-car Internet and social networks, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is pushing new federal guidelines to discourage their use. The government says carmakers should avoid any feature that would take a driver’s eyes off the road for more than two seconds; interactive devices should only work when the car is stopped. “We don’t have to choose between safety and technology,” LaHood says in an e-mail, “but while these devices may offer consumers new tools and features, automakers have a responsibility to ensure they don’t divert a driver’s attention.”