Yesterday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood released a plan for reducing distracted driving across the country. The “Blueprint for Ending Distracted Driving” is one in a line of documents issued by LaHood regarding distracted driving and one of the most comprehensive yet.
There is good reason for LaHood’s intent focus on ending distracted driving. In 2010 alone, at least 3,092 people were killed in car accidents involving distracted driving. Furthermore, even though the vast majority of drivers believe that distracted driving is dangerous, three quarters of drivers admit they are willing to answer phone calls while driving.
And, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), almost 60 percent of high school seniors admit to texting while driving – even those in states where texting while driving is illegal.
The Blueprint for Ending Distracted Driving:
- Asks car manufacturers to create guidelines for reducing in-car distractions
- Encourages the 11 remaining states to enact distracted driving legislation
- Encourages better distracted driving education for new drivers as well as veteran drivers
“Distracted driving is an epidemic,” Ray LaHood stated, “While we’ve made progress in the past three years by raising awareness about this risky behavior, the simple fact is people are continuing to be killed and injured – and we can put an end to it.”
That means that teenagers and adults alike must learn to put down their phones and concentrate on driving, whether they are taking a business call or texting a friend.
Next up for LaHood and the Department of Transportation?: Two pilot programs in California and Delaware to determine whether increasing police enforcement and media coverage for distracted driving can help reduce the number of accidents caused by distracted driving.
Source: TheTrucker.com, “DOT offers ‘Blueprint for Ending Distracted Driving,” June 7, 2012.