The debate over distracted driving burned hotter than ever as 2011 ended, thanks to a controversial call for a total ban of cell phone use while behind the wheel. The year saw significant progress in the legislative war on against distracted driving. While some state laws prohibiting use of handheld cell phones took effect, most of the success came with bans of text messaging while driving. Here's a recap of the big distracted driving stories of 2011: New year, new laws (Jan. 1-2): Three states — Delaware, Kentucky and Kansas — see their new distracted driving laws take full effect as 2011 … [Read more...]
LaHood: No blanket cell phone ban
December 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment
DOT chief Roy LaHood says his war on distracted driving won't lead to a full ban on handheld electronics. "The problem is not hands-free," LaHood said at a DOT news conference Dec. 21. "That is not the big problem (with distracted drivers)." LaHood was publicly distancing himself from the National Transportation Safety Board's Dec. 13 call for a blanket ban on cell phones and similar portable electronic devices -- regardless of whether hands-free devices are utilized. To date, all distracted driving laws in the U.S. allow adults to use hands-free devices such as Bluetooth headsets. NTSB … [Read more...]
‘It’s time’: Ban all cell phone use by drivers
December 15, 2011 by 11 Comments
Someone had to go first. The National Transportation Safety Board just jumped through the burning hoop, and the national debate over electronic distracted driving abruptly shifted to discussion of a complete ban on cell phones and similar devices. About time. Proponents and foes of laws against distracted driving agree, oddly enough, that the watery prohibitions being dispensed by many states are of little use and make little sense. The legislative "compromise" of saddling distracted driving laws with secondary enforcement is a joke. What if speeding tickets were only handed out if drivers … [Read more...]
NTSB seeks total cell phone ban
December 13, 2011 by 7 Comments
Horrified by the findings of its probe of a fatal text messaging crash, the NTSB has come out in favor of a nationwide ban on the use of portable handheld electronic devices by drivers. "It is time for all of us to stand up for safety by turning off electronic devices when driving," NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman said at a Dec. 13 hearing on the 2010 multi-vehicle wreck. "How many more lives will be lost before we, as a society, change our attitudes about the deadliness of distractions?" Electronic distracted driving "is becoming the new DUI," board member Robert Sumwalt said. "It's becoming … [Read more...]
3,092 die in distraction crashes
December 8, 2011 by 2 Comments
The good news is good indeed: In 2010, U.S. traffic fatalities and injuries reached their lowest numbers since 1949. Another reason for optimism, it might seem: 3,092 people died in accidents connected with distracted driving, down significantly from 2009's 5,474 fatalities. But the bad news lurks in the detail, as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration changed its method of tracking distracted driving accidents. "All of our evidence suggests that the problem may actually be getting worse," says federal DOT chief Ray LaHood (pictured). The explanation: "We've narrowed the … [Read more...]
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