Florida Teen Wins Distracted Driving Design Contest

Mary Sit — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 23:45:00 GMT

A 14-year-old high school freshman from Sanford, Fla., won the national Distracted Driving Design Challenge, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Hah'mari Watson said a minor car crash involving a texting teen inspired her to create her winning "Text & Wreck" icon. The contest was created to raise awareness about the dangers of texting and cell phone use behind the wheel. The challenge was to create an icon that could be used on social media, such as Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

"The Department of Transportation is committed to helping young drivers get the message that texting and driving don't mix," said Ray LaHood, transportation secretary. Read more here.

In 2010, more than 3,000 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver. You're three times more likely to crash if you text while driving, says Distraction.gov, a government website for distracted driving.

Read more on distracted driving and what you can do to get involved.

Glee.

Dianna Agron's character, Quinn Fabray, is texting while driving - and crashes her car. These announcements are aimed at young adults and include scenes from Glee.

"Distracted driving is an epidemic on our roadways, and our youngest and most inexperienced drivers are often the most at risk," said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, in a statement. "Young people across the country watch Glee, and we're thrilled to partner with the show to spread the word that texting and driving don't mix."

In 2010, at least 3,092 people were killed in distraction-affected crashes, accounting for one in 10 fatalities on the nation's roads, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Reading a text while driving can take your eyes off the road for an average of five seconds - enough time to drive the length of a football field. Find out more at distraction.gov and StopTextsStopWrecks.org.

Click the video below to watch the public service announcement.

View Video
Format: wmv
Duration: :30

The Department of Transportation is looking for a creative social media icon that clearly conveys an anti-distracted driving message.

Traffic accidents are the leading cause of death for American teens. And young people are among the most likely to engage in distracted driving - texting and talking on the phone. So the DOT is inviting high school students to help spread the message on distracted driving through this contest.

Teens between the ages of 13 and 18 are invited to create an icon that can be shared on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and other social networking sites.

"We're looking for icons that send a clear message: Cell phones and driving don't mix," says the DOT on its website.

The winning entry will be featured on the DOT's website, distraction.gov , and its social networking pages as part of DOT's official distracted driving campaign. So put pencil to paper, let your imagination soar and send your most compelling and eye-catching design. Deadline for submissions: July 31, 2012.

Learn more here.

Texas Transportation Institute testified before the House Transportation Committee, calling text messaging the perfect storm.

"It's both a cognitive task, you have to think about it, you have to look down at your device, and manipulate it with your hands. So because of that, it's not really surprising that the data are suggesting that text messaging is dangerous," he said.

One bill introduced would ban only texting while driving; another would ban talking and texting on mobile phone while driving. Read more here.

city hall.

Swifty is a cartoon turtle, a steady plodder who sometimes might poke his head out of his shell, sometimes not. He's the creation of retired editorial cartoonist Clyde Peterson, formerly of the Houston Chronicle.

Peterson's mission to end distracted driving in Houston with the help of Swifty began when he tried to get signs placed around Longfellow Elementary school. Texting is banned in school zones here in Texas.

"Parents were concerned because drivers were plowing by, completely oblivious to the kids," said Peterson, featured on the official blog of Ray LaHood, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

Peterson delved into research on distracted driving. Here's what he found: Houston has the third-largest daily influx of commuters in the nation. That's 403,313 people. Peterson is building awareness among city officials as he and Swifty continue their campaign against distracted driving.

"I'd just like to make sure that fewer than 403,313 of those people are texting while driving. A lot fewer," Peterson said. "The more I learned about it, the more dangerous I realized it was. And the more persuaded I was that signs would be useful, but what we really need is a city ban on texting."

Read more on LaHood's official blog, fast lane.

In the meantime, Swifty is sending e-mail to city council and trying to get as much local media attention as possible.

iZUP, made by Illume Software, and works on Blackberries and Androids.

When the mobile phone and its owner are in motion more than 5 mph, the software holds text messages, call and e-mail, but allows 911 emergency calls and any authorized phone numbers. It uses GPS and cellular networks to prevent outgoing texts, e-mail and phone calls while driving, along with Web browsing.

It sends all in-coming calls to voice mail and holds all texts. It is also time-delayed to account for stop lights, traffic delays and stop signs.

During last week's Distracted Driving Summit, hosted by Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the company offered free downloads. Now it will cost $19.95 a year for a single user or $59.95 for the family plan.

The company is marketing this to parents and employers. "The road of life is full of distractions. Don't let your mobile phone be one of them," it says on its Web site.

distracted driving summit this week, hosted by the nation's top transportation official.

On his blog, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood writes that in 2009 distracted driving-related crashes caused at least 5,500 deaths in the U.S. and more than 450,000 injuries.

"Because many police departments do not routinely document distraction factors in their crash reporting, I think it's safe to say these numbers are only the tip of the iceberg," writes LaHood.

He says once you meet the loved ones left behind by victims of distracted driving "then you understand that we are not talking about numbers, but about lives being broken and people being killed in crashes that are 100 percent preventable."

The summit will bring together safety advocates, transit experts, law enforcement officials, academic researchers and distracted driving victims.

Already 30 states have banned texting behind the wheel. Click here to see Texas laws on safe driving. Here at METRO, our cell phone policy is this: If caught texting on a cell phone while driving any METRO vehicle (bus, train, company car), the employee is terminated. Anyone caught talking on a cell phone while driving a METRO vehicle is suspended 30 days for the first offense. For the second offense, the employee is fired.

Click here to watch a live Webcast of the summit, starting tomorrow.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Distracted driving includes texting, talking on a cell phone, as well as eating and drinking.

KUHF-FM (88.7) started a three-part series Cars and Phones, detailing how some Houstonians have been the victims of distracted driving and the grassroots efforts that have emerged to combat that.

Texas doesn't have a law against texting and driving - only a law against using a cell phone while driving through a school zone. But cities have the option not to erect signs, which makes the law unenforceable. And some towns are cash-strapped and simply can't post new signs.

Is it time to join the handful of states that have passed laws against using a cell phone while behind the wheel, no matter where you're driving?

Click here to listen to the report.

Learn more at distraction.gov to understand the types of distractions and the dangers linked to those.

Ray LaHood has been repeating almost from the beginning of his leadership at the Federal Transit Administration.

And yesterday, a new federal rule was proposed that would ban distracted operations on rail cars.

Once adopted, the rules would clearly restrict, and in some cases, forbid the use of cell phones and other handheld devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) by safety critical workers, including locomotive engineers, conductors and switchmen.

"Operating a passenger or freight train demands the full and undivided attention of crew members at all times," said LaHood in a statement. "Lives depend on it. We want to make sure that railroad employees know not to use handheld devices on the job because doing so jeopardizes safety."

The new rule would ban the use of an electronic device - whether personal or company-supplied - if it interferes with the worker's or another worker's performance of safety-related duties.

There are exceptions for the use of watches, calculator use, medical devices, railroad radios and cameras used to document safety hazards, violations or certain emergencies. Read details of the rule proposed by the Federal Railroad Administration.

Back in September 2008, an engineer operating a Metrolink locomotive in Chatsworth, Calif., was texting - and crashed into a Union Pacific freight train. The horrific accident left 25 people dead.

LaHood says this newly proposed rule would help prevent accidents like that.

Write On METRO : distracted driving

Florida Teen Wins Distracted Driving Design Contest