Distracted driving under attack

Distracted driving continues as a national hot-button issue, with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood leading the charge.

"Am I on a rampage?" LaHood says. "Yes, I am, and why shouldn't I be?" He cites a half million people injured in distraction-related accidents in 2008 -- and almost 6,000 killed.

Most of the 2010's legislative activity has focused on text messaging behind the wheel, considered the most dangerous of the distracted driving activities.

The U.S. Department of Transportation made distracted driving a priority in the wake of highly publicized accidents linked to cell phone use and text messaging. Even Oprah Winfrey has entered the fray, starting a "No Phone Zone" campaign.

At the state level, bans on text messaging found success, but clashes continue over restrictions on handheld cell phones. For the most part, pro-ban legislators have put off debate on cell phones in order to push through texting bills.

As of July 2010, 30 states have banned text messaging while driving, the latest being Delaware, Massachusetts, Georgia and Vermont.

Several states are re-examining their existing distracted driving laws, with Washington and Louisiana upgrading enforcement this summer from "secondary" to "primary." Louisiana is close behind. Connecticut toughened its fines in early June.

Congress is looking at several proposals that would effectively ban text messaging while driving nationwide. States that fail to act could lose billions in highway funding. The DOT crafted a template for distracted driving legislation, in order to close loopholes such as the one found in Maryland's texting messaging law.

HandsFreeInfo.com is the nation's most reliable news source for distracted driving legislation and laws. The site is updated several times a day. Be sure to check our legislation by state listings -- they are being updated at a furious pace.

Our texting and cell phone blog strays from the web site's policy of objective reporting in favor of advocacy.

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