Call for Action to Curb Distracted Driving

The Distracted Driving Summit called by Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood ended yesterday with a call for action.

The two-day summit addressed the dangers of text messaging and other distractions behind the wheel and included senior transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement experts and academics. It also featured young people and families whose loved ones were victims of distracted driving.

Today, LaHood said the conference managed to create a critical mass of people who believe distracted driving must be stopped, but it was time to take action. On Wednesday, President Obama signed an executive order, banning all federal employees form texting while driving on government business, driving a government vehicle, or driving in their personal cars while using a government-issued cell phone.

On his blog, LaHood outlined more action steps his department will be doing:

• Permanently restrict cell phones and other electronic devices on rail operations.
• Ban text messaging and restrict the use of cell phones by truck drivers and interstate bus operators.
• Strip bus drivers from their commercial driver's license if they are convicted of texting while driving.
• Encourage state and local governments to make distracted driving a part of state highway plans

"We won't fix this problem overnight, but we are going to raise awareness and sharpen the consequences," wrote LaHood on his blog. "In the end, however, we cannot simply legislate this problem away...Driving while distracted should feel wrong - just as driving while intoxicated now feels wrong to most American drivers."

Read more here.