Early critics were amazed to find DOT chief Ray LaHood campaigning, fiercely, against drivers' use of distracting electronic devices such as cell phones. He took it as a compliment. "Am I on a rampage?" LaHood said in the early years of his term. "Yes, I am, and why shouldn't I be?" Politicians and bureaucrats don't talk that way, but LaHood did. He cited a rising national death toll as drivers increasingly talked & texted their way down our streets and highways. Who can say how many lives (many of them young) were saved as LaHood used the DOT's bully pulpit in his campaign against … [Read more...]
DOT chief LaHood leaving post
January 29, 2013 by 3 Comments
Distracted driving fighter Ray LaHood is stepping down as secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation. LaHood, a Republican, made the announcement in a memo to staffers Jan. 29, saying he would stay on until a successor is named. LaHood detailed a string of DOT achievements during his tenure, beginning with the efforts to curtail distracted driving: "We have put safety front and center with the Distracted Driving Initiative." In the memo to DOT staffers, LaHood wrote: "I've told President Obama, and I've told many of you, that this is the best job I've ever had." The president, also … [Read more...]
Uptick in U.S. distracted driving deaths
December 11, 2012 by 1 Comment
Highway deaths linked to distracted driving were up slightly in 2011, an increase that the federal government said reflected better reporting and increased awareness of the problem. The number of people killed in distraction-related crashes rose to 3,331 in 2011 from 3,267 in 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported Dec. 10. About 387,000 people were injured in wrecks blamed on distracted driving, a 7 percent decline from the estimated 416,000 people hurt in those crashes in 2010. Overall, national highway deaths fell to 32,367 in 2011, the lowest level since 1949 … [Read more...]
GHSA: Ban handheld cell phone use
September 6, 2012 by 3 Comments
The Governors Highway Safety Association has climbed off the fence on the issue of handheld cell phone use while driving. The group, composed of the top highway safety officers from each state, previously supported text messaging bans for all drivers and limits on electronic device use by teen drivers. But it had stopped short of endorsing bans on handheld cell phone use by all drivers, saying research was inconclusive. Almost all public safety groups and transportation agencies have long been on the record against use of handheld cell phones by drivers. The GHSA move, announced Sept. 6, … [Read more...]
Distracted driving incentives survive
July 1, 2012 by 4 Comments
Distracted driving incentives survived an official challenge from the U.S. House, as the federal transportation bill was approved and sent to the president for his signature. The bill provides about $78 million in incentives for states that ban text messaging for all drivers and the use of handheld cell phones by young drivers. States that do not would not share in this additional funding but would not lose existing funding. States receiving the distracted driving grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation will be required to spend some of the money on enforcement and education. The … [Read more...]
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