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...]
South Dakotans see texting ad — but no laws
June 22, 2010 by Leave a Comment
South Dakota hasn't gotten around to banning texting while driving. Two attempts at distracted driving laws crashed and burned in the Legislature this season as lawmakers fretted about personal liberties and enforcement. Prospects for distracted driving legislation in South Dakota next session: murky at best. But the state has a PSA. Better than nothing. … [Read more...]
Adults tie teens in texting, driving
June 21, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Adults are just as likely to text message while driving as teenagers, according to a new national survey. "Adults may be the ones sounding the alarm on the dangers of distracted driving, but they don't always set the best example themselves," said Mary Madden of the Pew Research Center. The finding contradicts the widely held belief that texting and driving is primarily a problem with teens. The Pew report on distracted driving does show, however, that young adults (ages 18 to 34) are the most likely to text and drive, by far (59 percent). More than a quarter of U.S. adults (27 … [Read more...]
Titans of texting take pledge, get Sparks tickets
June 17, 2010 by 1 Comment
Here's a new one in the world of distracted-driving safety campaigns: South Florida teens who proved themselves to be superstars of text messaging were awarded free tickets to a concert by "American Idol" star Jordin Sparks. One catch: They had to pledge to never text and drive. The idea for the unusual safety contest came from Stacy Kagan, an Allstate Insurance agent in Coral Springs. "We're trying to encourage teens to be aware that texting kills," Kagan told the Miami Herald. Allstate's "Thumbs Up to X the TXT" has been working its way across the nation since November. First-place … [Read more...]
Recent Comments