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...]
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...]
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...]
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...]
U.S. Senate panel OKs state incentives
June 10, 2010 by Leave a Comment
A key U.S. Senate panel has signed off on "the Distracted Driving Prevention Act," which would bring $94 million in incentives to states that ban dangerous activities such as texting and cell-phoning while behind the wheel. On June 9, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation approved the driver safety legislation (SB 1938) from Sens. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. It now goes to the full Senate. The approval was no surprise since Rockefeller is chairman of the Senate committee and Hutchison is its senior member. Hutchison noted that the … [Read more...]
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