Wireless carriers gang up on texting

May 15, 2013 by 1 Comment
AT&T to teens: It Can Wait

AT&T's "It Can Wait" campaign against texting & driving is getting support from some unlikely allies -- rival wireless carriers Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile. The safety ad campaign will deploy its new resources throughout the summer, which AT&T and AAA call "the 100 deadliest days on the roads for teen drivers." "Texting and driving is a serious social challenge, and we look forward to partnering with leading organizations and experts around the world to answer it," said Verizon Wireless chief Dan Mead. The ad campaign, which kicks off May 20, "will focus on the stories of people who are living with the consequences of texting while driving." The first story will be that of a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cell phones & society, News Tagged With: ,

Fla. governor gets texting bill

May 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
rick-scott-florida

In a first for Florida, a distracted driving bill has emerged from the Legislature. The state Senate gave final approval Thursday to a plan that would outlaw text messaging while driving in Florida. The bill, however, calls for secondary enforcement, preventing police from issuing tickets unless another offense is observed, such as weaving or missing a stop sign. It does not address cell phones. Interviewed Monday, Gov. Rick Scott dodged the direct question of whether he would sign the texting bill: "Well as a parent, and now a grandparent, you worry about people texting and driving," Scott told a Fox affiliate reporter. "So, I look forward to seeing that bill when it gets to my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, State cell phone laws Tagged With: ,

Charlotte’s Foxx picked as new DOT chief

April 29, 2013 by 1 Comment
new DOT chief named

The next U.S. secretary of Transportation will be Anthony Foxx, the mayor of Charlotte, N.C., assuming President Obama has his way. Obama nominated Foxx on Monday, with current DOT chief Ray LaHood (right) nodding approval. The Senate must approve the selection. The president called LaHood one of the best transportation secretaries in history. LaHood, in turn, called Foxx the right man for the job. Both men are friends of the president. "With Mayor Foxx at the helm, the American people can expect DOT's progress to continue unabated during the president's second term," LaHood said. The fast-growing Charlotte has been on a transport mission under Foxx, with an aggressive expansion … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News Tagged With: ,

E-dashboard guidelines issued

April 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
automakers install interactive dashboards

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued the final version of its "common sense" guidelines for vehicles' built-in communications, entertainment and navigation devices. The guidelines, which are "non-binding" and voluntary, seek to rein in excessively distracting devices in passenger vehicles. They were released April 23 by the DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This first phase of the guidelines address electronic devices installed in vehicles as original equipment -- typically dashboard electronics with visual-manual interfaces. The guidelines call for limits on the time a driver must take his eyes off the road to perform any electronic device task. That … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News Tagged With: ,
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