Politics & Government

U.S. Transportation Secretary and Local Officials Highlight the Dangers of Distracted Driving

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood spoke at a press conference Monday morning about distracted driving, which he says is becoming a life-threatening epidemic.

Eighty-five percent of all Americans age 18 and older own a cell phone, but as these devices have become more prevalent so have the risks and tragic consequences of distracted driving.

On Monday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Congresswoman Nita Lowey, and young people whose lives have been affected by distracted driving gathered at the Consumer Union headquarters in Yonkers to highlight the dangers of texting and talking on a cell phone while driving.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), more than 5,500 people were killed and almost 500,000 were injured in 2009 because of distracted drivers. About 20 percent of these deaths involved a cell phone. 

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In December 2009, the DOT launched distraction.gov, a website that details the dangers of distracted driving. This January, the Department also launched a “Faces of Distracted Driving” video series featuring people who have been injured or lost family and friends to distracted driving. One of them, Jacy Good, who was badly injured and whose parents were killed in a car accident while they were driving home from her college graduation, spoke at Monday’s press conference. She told the audience how a tractor-trailer hit the Goods’ car when it swerved to avoid a driver who had run through a traffic light while talking on his cell phone.

Good’s story and others featured on the DOT website are part of several public education initiatives the department is promoting to combat the problem of distracted driving. On Monday, LaHood said his department is committed to reducing the number of deaths and injuries caused by distracted driving, but that state and community collaboration also are critical to addressing the issue.

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“We’re right at the starting point—two years ago nobody was talking about distracted driving. Now we have 30 states that have passed laws and federal legislators that are taking an interest in it,” La Hood said.

“What we’re trying to do is make sure that people understand the reason this is an epidemic,” LaHood said. “We’re not going to take a backseat to anybody when it comes to this issue.”

Congresswoman Nita Lowey, who supports the full $50 million in funding for Distracted Driving Prevention grants, said the issue has become a growing concern.

“The threat of fatalities and injuries resulting from distracted driving is severe and increasing, particularly for young drivers,” said Lowey.  “I encourage all drivers to focus their full attention on the road, and all states should act as New York has to ban texting while driving."

Lowey has co-sponsored a bill, the ALERT Drivers Act, which is intended to encourage states to reduce distracted driving. The bill would allow the DOT to withhold 25 percent of federal funding to states that don’t pass laws that ban texting while driving.

In the Hudson Valley, several counties already have enacted such legislation. In 2008, the Rockland County Legislature voted to ban text messaging while driving, becoming the fourth county in New York to enact such a law. The legislation came after incidents in the county that same year, including one involving an emergency medical technician in West Nyack who looked at his GPS screen while driving and got into an accident that paralyzed his colleague who was in the passenger seat.

Westchester County passed a texting while driving ban in March 2009, and conducted special patrols last December to issue summonses to motorists caught violating the ban. In February, Clarkstown police in Rockland County launched an effort to expand traffic enforcement on about 25 roadways to crack down on speeding and reckless and distracted driving.

LaHood said enforcement is an important component of efforts to address the issue. He pointed to things like the “Click It or Ticket” campaign and efforts by local communities as examples of the significance of effective enforcement.

“Enforcement is very important. We gave two grants to Syracuse, NY and Hartford CT. Each community got $200,000,” LaHood said. “They took that money and they put police officers on street corners and if somebody was on a cell phone they gave them a ticket. Within five days, about 5,000 tickets were written between the two communities.”

While enforcement could go a long way towards saving lives, changing public perceptions about distracted driving may not be as easy.

A recent Consumer Reports survey indicated that only 36 percent of 18 to 29-year olds were very concerned about distracted driving, while only 30 percent felt it was very dangerous to use a handheld cell phone while driving. Sixty-three percent of respondents less than 30 years old admitted to using a cell phone while driving, while a third of them also admitted to texting. However, 25 percent of all respondents said their concerns about distracted driving were not enough to reduce or stop them from engaging in certain behaviors.

“It only takes a moment of distraction to cause a tragedy. No text or call is worth a life,” James Guest, the president and CEO of Consumer’s Union, said at Monday’s press conference.

LaHood said that while his department is approaching the issue from all angles, including  encouraging car companies to reduce technological distractions such as computerized dashboards in cars, the easiest way to reduce the number of distracted driving deaths is to encourage people to change their behavior.

“Everybody in this room owns a cell phone or texting device. Everybody in this room has used a cell phone or texting device while driving a car, and our message is it’s not safe. Put them down. Put them in the glove compartment. Don’t use them.”


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