Texas Distracted Driving Summit keeps the focus on safety

For the past three years, DOT has been a fierce opponent of Distracted Driving. We have hosted two National Distracted Driving Summits, supported strong enforcement efforts, and launched a compelling Faces of Distracted Driving PSA series. 

This effort has paid off. Law enforcement, the business community, and media have joined us in making distracted driving part of the national conversation. Connecticut, New York, and California have demonstrated that enforcement works. And 37 states--plus DC and Guam--have banned texting behind the wheel. These are great signs of improvement.

But, in light of two new studies, one by our own National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and one by Bridgestone, distracted driving is still a dangerous epidemic, particularly among our youngest drivers.

To continue the drumbeat, I traveled to San Antonio yesterday, for the Texas Distracted Driving Summit, hosted by the Texas Department of Transportation, USAA, and the Shriners Hospitals for Children. At the summit, I was honored to be introduced by my good friend and fellow safety advocate, Jennifer Smith.  Jennifer lost her mother to a distracted driver in September 2008 and has become a great ally in our fight to end this deadly epidemic.

We were joined by several other advocates, who have also lost loved ones to distracted driving crashes. You may remember the family of Alex Brown--a 17-year-old who died in a texting crash--from our Faces of Distracted Driving series.  And I was saddened by the story of Jennifer Zamora, whose husband Javier survived the dangers of combat service in Iraq only to be killed here at home by a distracted driver.

 

Raising awareness is a critical part of helping to curb this dangerous behavior. Passing good laws and backing them up with strong enforcement is also crucial. Unfortunately, our host state Texas is not one of the 37 states that have banned texting while driving.  It is disappointing, but that makes raising awareness at summits like this one even more important.

In the meantime, dozens of communities in Texas have passed their own distracted driving legislation, including our host city San Antonio.

The latest research from NHTSA and Bridgestone should help all Americans see that distracted driving is still one of the greatest dangers on our nation's roads. The survey of young drivers shows that our least experienced drivers are the most likely to engage in this deadly behavior. And teen passengers are the group least likely to speak up when someone is texting or talking on a cell phone while driving. 

As Bridgestone's data indicates America's teens are in denial about the very real threat distracted driving poses to their safety. Only one-third of the drivers surveyed by Bridgestone said that talking on a cell phone while driving is very dangerous. It's not just a problem among our youngest drivers; we know they're taking their cues from the experienced drivers around them.

We have an obligation to help spare our fellow citizens the heartbreak of losing a loved one because someone couldn’t put down their cell phone. DOT and our safety partners have worked hard during the past three years to do just that, but --whether it's raising awareness, helping states pass good laws, or stepping up enforcement-- we have more work ahead.

I hope you'll join us in this important fight.

If you want to help raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, take part in our Distracted Driving Icon Design Challenge at challenge.gov.

 

Comments

[Bob Parsons]

I strongly approve the nation-wide cellphone and texting ban proposed.

I drive on undivided roads, and have had to install air horns on my car to wake up distracted drivers coming my way. If they stray one inch over the center line, I blast them until they pass. It's self-defense and very necessary.

I also agree about eliminating the gee-whiz touch-screen interfaces in cars like Ford, which force you to read a screen then place your fingers in just the right spot to control almost anything. This is insanity. The same goes for Internet anything.

[Marvin McDowell]

I fully support the proposal to ban cell phone use while driving. Please get this passed as a national law. It will save many lives and stop much heartache.

[Storage]

I am whole-heartedly joining you in that so important fight and am more than agree with you thatthe nation-wide cellphone and texting ban have to be passed and enforced! I've noticed that the young drivers are really somehow careless when driving,so a national law only can change the things. My heart aches when watching the story of the family above and am hoping that such cases of distracted drivers are going to be decreased if not disappear!

[Mouhamad A. Naboulsi]

Very sad and heart braking. Here is a reversed psychology video that was used in Belgium to convince teens not to text while driving by forcing them to text during their driving test.

http://youtu.be/HbjSWDwJILs

[Tony Hippensteel]

I am just glad that there is one more person that will not be able to run into me while texting. Texting and driving is an epidemic! I have no sympathy because I have been in 4 accidents in the last 6 months with (people) doing this. STOP IT NOW!!!!!.

[Clark Summit]

I live in San Diego, CA and the punishment for driving while texting is a minimum fine of 350 dollars. In my honest opinion I think this should even be higher, but at least it's a start. Driving a automobile in the United States is already one of the most dangerous activities a person can do, why make it that much more dangerous by adding texting or talking on a phone to the the equation. I think that this cellphone and texting ban should be nation-wide without question. I honestly had no idea it was not already before reading this article. The number of lives saved by this law will out way the inconvenience some people face by maybe having to pull over to make a text or phone call. Or maybe buy a blue tooth for 20 bucks. Thanks for the informative article. This is something I am very passionate about, if you couldn't tell already hah.