Transportation Secretary LaHood looks to stem in-car distractions?

John Suit — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:00:53 +0000

Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood (pictured) has gotten some good TV time this week. First he warned American drivers of Toyota’s recalled vehicles to park them immediately. Shortly thereafter, he retracted part of that statement in a “clarification” in which he told drivers to get their recalled cars to Toyota dealerships as soon as possible. In a report which came out Friday on the Detroit News, LaHood is apparently looking to limit in-car distractions for drivers.

He’s already gone after texting and general cell phone usage by drivers, and now is looking to limit the bells and whistles we take for granted these days. LaHood is quoted as saying he’s, “going to talk to the car manufacturers and see where this leads.”

While the NHTSA says that in 2009, 6,000 people were killed by inattentive or distracted drivers and that more than 800,000 drivers are using hand-held phones while driving each day, a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) on hand-held phone bans in California, Connecticut, New York, and Washington D.C. had no discernible effect on the number of traffic accidents. LaHood explained this away by blaming a lack of police enforcement of those bans.

I’d like to see how far this goes, as more and more cars come equipped with bluetooth-compatible radios and hands-free dialing capability, and the number of crashes hasn’t significantly risen, even though the number of drivers in America has.

by John Suit

Source: Detroit News

DOT Bans texting for Commercial drivers

John Suit — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:08:55 +0000

A lot of states have begun banning texting for drivers, and some go as far as fining drivers who aren’t using a hands-free device, such as Bluetooth, to make and receive their calls. A study by Virginia Tech Researchers found that drivers who are distracted by cell phones and other devices are 23 times more likely to crash than those who pay attention to the road.

This ban also affects interstate bus drivers and anyone else operating a commercial vehicle with more than 8 passengers, not just truck drivers. So what’s the deterrent? How about a fine of up to $2,750? That’s quite a bit more than the $250 or $500 fine imposed by some states on drivers, and given the number of independent truck drivers, that gives drivers quite the financial incentive to comply with the ban.

While I think it’s a good rule to have, there is a glaring problem with it concerning truck drivers: the cabs of their trucks are so high off the road that it would be difficult for law enforcement officials to enforce the ban. They could pull the phone records for the driver after an accident, but by then it’s too late, and damage to people or property has already been done.

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by John Suit

Source: Department of Transportation via AutoBlog

Road Reality » cell phone

Transportation Secretary LaHood looks to stem in-car distractions?

DOT Bans texting for Commercial drivers