To address concerns that cell phone use in cars has caused more crashes, Ford Motor Company investigating the control of electronic devices by voice, touch or see-through windshield displays. While attorneys for Ford work to settle lawsuits brought against the automaker in the Firestone tire debacle, efforts are apparently underway to improve the company's safety image. After unveiling the latest onboard wireless gadgets for vehicles at the 2001 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Ford announced plans to open a $10 million virtual test track to study workload and distraction issues related to the use of electronic devices while driving. The Virtual Test Track Experiment, or VIRTTEX, is designed to allow researchers to measure a driver's ability to safely handle common traffic situations while using mobile phones, navigation systems and other in-car electronic equipment that is fast becoming standard in the automotive industry, according to Ford officials. The company says the simulator also will give it customer insight into areas related to driving dynamics, active safety, vehicle Internet access, automotive multimedia and driveability. The system will be designed to address automakers' concerns that an increase in the installation of wireless handheld and in-dash electronic devices is compromising driver safety. The goal, according to Ford, is to establish a scientific basis for in-vehicle human-machine interface standards for the auto industry. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatal Accident Reporting System revealed that driver inattention caused 10 percent of all fatal crashes in 1999. Ford scientists will duplicate highway driving in a controlled laboratory setting, providing another tool for the company and other automakers to develop user-friendly dashboard devices for customers. VIRTTEX computers will create a virtual driving environment in which participants sit behind the wheel and begin driving according to test instructions. In addition to collecting data on steering, speed control and braking, all tests will be recorded by five in-car cameras that monitor and record the road scene and the driver's hand, eye and foot movements. Testing is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2001, according to Ford. Laws Limit Car Phone Use The skyrocketing use of car phones, with the corresponding safety issues, has led to legislation throughout the country banning the use of handheld mobile phones in vehicles. A law introduced in New York would ban the use of such phones by drivers and is expected to pass with little opposition. To address such concerns, automakers are investigating the control of electronic devices by voice, touch or displays that use see-through messages on the windshield. The Ford Research Laboratory also has teamed with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute to study potentially distracting in-car systems, and Ford is a founding partner of the Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP), which works with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) to address distraction issues through development of driver workload metrics and methods, including an acceptable criterion for the accessibility of electronic devices by the driver while the vehicle is in motion. Meanwhile, automakers and their suppliers are racing to perfect onboard electronic advances for vehicles. At the Detroit auto show, General Motors displayed the Terracross, a concept SUV equipped with a dash-mounted PC and cellular modem access, designed to meet the demands of younger consumers for more gadgets in their vehicles. GM's OnStar service uses GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite technology and wireless communication to link the driver and vehicle to the 24-hour OnStar Center, where advisors provide real-time, personalized help. OnStar services include Personal Calling, which lets drivers make and receive phone calls in a hands-free, voice-activated manner using a phone embedded in the vehicle; and Virtual Advisor, which offers automated stock quotes, weather updates, traffic reports and e-mail via the vehicle's speakers.