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July 26, 2000 10:24 AM, EDT

American’s lust for new gadgets is driving drivers to distraction and, as a result, causing crashes, said experts at a recent meeting evaluating the impact of in-vehicle technology on safety.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration hosted the meeting to hear opinions and review research findings on ways to meet consumer demand for navigation systems, cell phones, e-mail and Web access in their cars without adding to the number of collisions.

Government officials fear there will be more accidents if projections are right that Web connections to cars will become as common as radios.

While risks associated with wireless communications may be as prevalent in trucks as they are in cars, NHTSA officials said no trucking industry representatives were asked to testify at the July 18 meeting. NHTSA had concluded that the issues were similar for both vehicles.

For the full story, see the July 24 print edition of Transport Topics. .