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Transportation secretary promises federal action against distracted driving
Distracted driving is the subject of a two-day summit that the Department of Transportation kicked off today.Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warned more than 200 attendees about the dangers of distracted driving and pledged to take action at the federal level to combat this "menace to society." "Every single time you take your eyes off the road or talk on the phone while you're driving, even for just a few seconds, you put your life in danger, and you put others in danger too," LaHood said. "This kind of behavior is irresponsible, and the consequences are devastating." Distracted driving is nothing new, of course -- people have been fiddling with their car radios since they were introduced in the 1930s. But in the digital age, the potential distractions have multiplied, often with perilous consequences. In July, a tow-truck driver in New York hit a car and crashed into a swimming pool while talking on one cellphone and texting on another. And in 2008, 25 people were killed and 135 were injured outside Los Angeles when a commuter train's operator reportedly failed to obey a stop signal while distracted by text messaging on a cellphone and crashed into a freight train. LaHood endorsed efforts to regulate behind-the-wheel behavior, but he warned that distracted driving is foremost an issue of personal responsibility. "We need a combination of strong laws, tough enforcement and ongoing public education to make a difference," he said. But "in reality, you can't legislate behavior . . . taking personal responsibility for our actions is the key for the solution." But whatever approach is chosen, one is needed soon, say experts. In 2008, 5,870 traffic fatalities, 16% of all road deaths that year, occurred in crashes involving distraction, said Bruce Magladry, director of the Office of Highway Safety at the National Transportation Safety Board. In the year before, 12% of fatalities came from crashes involving distraction. Posted by: Fred 2009-10-01 |
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