Shrugging off his critics, DOT crusader Ray LaHood reaffirmed his passion for the fight against distracted driving. In a Washington ceremony marking the first anniversary of FocusDriven's founding, the Department of Transportation chief responded to recent public criticisms of his zeal from the former leader of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: "We will not be deterred by false choices about addressing distracted driving on the one hand and alternative critical safety issues on the other," LaHood told his audience. Jeffrey Runge, the former highway safety official, told … [Read more...]
FocusDriven video: Faces of the 5,500
January 20, 2011 by 2 Comments
On its first anniversary, the distracted driving victims advocacy group FocusDriven released this new 30-second PSA whose macro message is "How many more have to die?" It drives home the point that 5,500 people died last year due to inattentive driving. FocusDriven president Jennifer Smith said: "In our new PSA, we want to remind people that each and every distracted driving fatality is someone’s loved one, and that person’s family is in tremendous pain." Keep up the good work, folks. … [Read more...]
T-Mobile debuts teen driving nanny
January 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment
T-Mobile has come to market with what it calls "the “industry’s first carrier-grade service” that puts the brakes on distracted driving by teens. DriveSmart Plus is a full-featured subscription service that can be applied to all lines on a customer's account. Priced at $4.99 a month, the system engages when a vehicle is in motion, sending incoming calls directly to voicemail and temporarily preventing access to text messages. People who call or text the phone user get an auto-response saying he or she is driving. Other upper-tier distracted driving solutions have similar functionality -- … [Read more...]
Bicycles, mopeds: Distracted driving news
January 18, 2011 by 2 Comments
Bikes and distracted driving: As laws restricting drivers' use of cell phones and texting devices spread throughout the nation, legislators appear to be fine-tuning their bills to include bicyclists. This page tracks distracted driving legislation and laws affecting bicyclists and riders of other two-wheeled vehicles. 2011 law, legislation updates: Bicyclists in Chicago are prohibited from using handheld cell phones and texting as of November. Alderman Marge Laurino's plan sailed through the City Council on Oct. 5. Laurino, a rider who describes herself as "proponent of cycling," said the … [Read more...]
Our winner: Miss South Dakota
January 17, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The reigning Miss South Dakota didn't triumph at the Miss America Pageant, but she's a queen on this blog. Loren Vaillancourt lost her brother in a distracted driving accident. She made distracted driving her "cause" for the pageant, noting in the video below: "I want to be your next Miss America because I can save lives." Vaillancourt drew praise from DOT chief Ray La Hood, who blogged that she "has done a terrific job raising awareness among young people in South Dakota." You can read posts of encouragement from her fans on this Facebook page from State Farm: SF Teen Driving. (The new … [Read more...]
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