Tech and safety at Detroit Auto Show

DETROIT (WOOD) - Distracted driving killed 3000 people in the US in 2010, government statistics show. But drivers continue to bring different devices into their car.

That's where automotive engineers are trying to strike a balance between providing upgraded technology and not causing distractions. And US Highway Traffic Safety Administrator David Strickland thinks they're doing a good job in that regard.

"All the manufacturers are really taking a really great approach of looking at what is the appropriate thing to be in the vehicle," Strickland told 24 Hour News 8 at the media preview for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "What you should use when you're underway and what you should use only when you're in park."

Joni Christensen is the head of Marketing for Chrysler's U Connect system. Her challenge, like other designers, is to give drivers "the capability to connect those devices, and keep their hands on the wheels and keep their focus on the road."

For instance, a driver could create a wi-fi hot spot for their vehicle. U Connect combines the functions of AM-FM, bluetooth, mp3 and more onto a screen or the steering wheel.

"We also blend the touch screen also with the cluster display and information is shared," she said, "so if you have an upcoming turn you can just, at a glance, see where it is that you need to turn without taking your eyes off the road."

It's similar to systems developed by other automakers. All this high tech gear on the dashboard of vehicles is less an option and more of a requirement for many buyers.

Safety remains a priority for both designers and NHTSA.

"There's a lot of research yet to be done," Strickland said. "But I think everybody, as we're all learning collectively at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the manufacturers are doing more and more research and we learn more, we're integrating that learning into the sort of decisions of what should and should not be in the vehicle."

Ultimately, though, the key safety factor in any vehicle is the driver.

"The vehicle does more and more to support and protect the driver. And that's a good thing," he said. "But at the end of the day you have to recognize it's the decision to make sure that you're prepared to drive."

The North American International Auto Show opens in Detroit on Saturday.