Apple, Samsung, and other smartphone manufacturers are being asked by federal auto safety regulators to consider adding a “driver mode” to block certain apps and functions to prevent distracted driving. In a guidance released Wednesday — and first reported by The New York Times — the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it envisions driver mode as a “simplified user interface that is intended to minimize distraction experienced by a driver using that device.”

There are more ways to drive distracted than ever, from in-car Wi-Fi to Snapchat to Pokémon Go (which has already claimed one driver’s life). So safety regulators are turning to the tech industry for help in combating the rise in…

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