Abstract: A method of mitigating driver distraction in a vehicle is provided that includes enabling a first mode in which a first plurality of vehicle features can be controlled; monitoring an interior of the vehicle using vehicle sensors; gathering sensor data from the vehicle sensors; estimating a cognitive load of the driver based on the sensor data; determining that the cognitive load of the driver exceeds a cognitive load threshold; and disabling the first mode and enabling a focus mode in response to determining that the cognitive load of the driver exceeds the cognitive load threshold, the focus mode disabling one or more vehicle features from the first plurality of vehicle features and enabling a second plurality of vehicle features to be controlled, the second plurality of vehicle features being a subset of the first plurality of vehicle features that is smaller in number than the first plurality of vehicle features.