State Sen. Joe Simitian's bid to increase the effectiveness of California's distracted driving laws has failed, at least for 2010. Senate Bill 1475 would have would more than doubled fines on the trio of distracted driving laws that the senator pushed through in recent years. The bill also would have applied the laws against text messaging and use of handheld cell phones to California's bicyclists. "The deadline for bills to pass the Appropriations Committee was Aug. 13, and since the cell phone bill did not pass the committee by the deadline, it died there," said Phil Yost of Simitian's … [Read more...]
9 in 10 teenage drivers distracted? LOL
August 4, 2010 by Leave a Comment
This week's alarming numbers about nine in 10 teenage drivers engaging in distracted behaviors deserve a closer look. The widely publicized survey, done for Seventeen magazine and AAA, talked to 2,000 drivers between the ages of 16 and 19. 86 percent of those teens said they engaged in distracted driving at some point. Pretty scary ... but let's take a look at what the survey defined as distracted driving: The activity drawing the most affirmative responses from the teens (73 percent) was adjusting a radio/CD or MP3 player -- an action they have in common with almost every driver on U.S. … [Read more...]
Sequel to U.S. distracted driving summit
July 28, 2010 by 2 Comments
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...]
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...]
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