Citing a "powerful momentum" from last year's national summit on distracted driving, the Department of Transportation plans a sequel for Sept. 21. DOT chief Ray LaHood sent out the call to transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement, mobile phone and auto industry reps, safety researchers, and those whose lives have been shattered by distracted drivers. The event will be in Washington, D.C. LaHood, who has seen his personal brand soar with his campaigning on the distracted driving issue, says a new national summit is needed: "We've learned a lot in the past year, but there … [Read more...]
Archives for July 2010
Missouri: Show us the ban, not the logo
July 18, 2010 by Leave a Comment
The Missouri State Highway Patrol's heart seems in the right place with its new public safety campaign against texting and driving. Certainly there's a need: So far this year there have been 17,535 crashes in the Show Me State where distracted driving was cited as a contributing cause. The highway patrol even arranged for a race car to bear the logo for the no-texting campaign, one of those red-cross-out designs that says "no texting." Want a decal for your very own car? They're free to the public as window clingers. One slight problem. If you're a driver 21 or older in Missouri, feel free … [Read more...]
Safety law foes quit after LaHood lashing
July 7, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Washington lobbyists who planned to fight distracted driving laws and legislation have backed down after a scolding from the head of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The would-be DRIVE Coalition withdrew its proposal for a corporate-backed campaign after the DOT's Ray LaHood blasted the initiative at a press conference, dubbing it "a new effort to rile up corporate America and undermine the achievements of our campaign against distracted driving." A spokesman for DRIVE said it had achieved the goal of expanding the distracted driving debate beyond electronic devices. The lobbyists had … [Read more...]
Lobbyists fight distracted driving laws
July 1, 2010 by 1 Comment
A Washington lobbying group has been pitching cell phone companies and car manufacturers on a plan to derail distracted-driving legislation, according to several media reports this week. July 7 update: The lobbyists abandoned the effort to derail distracted driving laws after a scolding from U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. The lobbyists said they had succeeded in opening up the debate -- at any rate they succeeded in attracting a lot of publicity /update Oprah Winfrey and the DOT's LaHood are seen as threats to the mobile communications industry, according to the 10-page memo … [Read more...]
New distracted driving laws in 4 states
July 1, 2010 by 2 Comments
Texting and driving means trouble with the law in four new states. Georgia, Michigan, Iowa and Wyoming all saw their legislature's distracted driving plans become effective July 1. Across the states, drivers fretted over what was allowed and what was not, and law officers raised the usual concerns about enforcement. In Michigan, a spokesman for the police chiefs association wasn't happy: "It's going to be very difficult for us," he said. But in Iowa, a Sioux City officer said, "We've all seen people driving and texting -- it's pretty obvious what they're doing." Georgia Gov. Sonny … [Read more...]
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