Welcome to the FastLane: The Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation

Cars 2 distracted driving ad demonstrates the value of strong safety partners

Today, I am thrilled to show you our latest Public Service Announcement to help end distracted driving.

DOT has partnered with Disney and Pixar to create an ad using popular characters from their upcoming release, Cars 2.  Called "Only the bad guys drive distracted," this terrific 30-second spot advises viewers, "No calling, no texting, nothing that can take away your focus."

Watch the ad below, and I think you'll agree that Cars 2's Lightning McQueen and Mater make pretty good spokes-vehicles.

 

Disney has also made the new safety ad available internationally in more than a dozen countries, even translating the international versions at no cost.  And DOT is working with the State Department and the  FIA Foundation's Make Roads Safe campaign for global road safety to help increase the message's visibility overseas.

This is not the first time the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has partnered with Disney to promote road safety.  For the 2005 re-release of Cinderella, we worked together to create a campaign featuring the Fairy Godmother reminding parents that booster seats help seat belts fit children as snugly as the famous glass slipper fit Cinderella.

The NHTSA-Disney relationship has grown considerably since then, with road safety tie-ins for A Christmas Carol, Enchanted, Wall-E, and the first Cars movie.

We really value having partners like Disney and Pixar involved in our safety mission, especially when it comes to instilling safe driving behavior among young people from an early age.  So if you don't take it from me, take it from our friends on the big screen: One Text or Call Could Wreck it All.

Fight to end distracted driving gains grassroots momentum

Although I continue to read articles about car crashes caused by texting or talking on a cell phone while driving, I am cheered this morning by other articles that tell me the fight against distracted driving has become a grassroots movement around the country.

Earlier this week, for example, the town of Daphne, Alabama, banned texting behind the wheel. That ban was set in motion by a local man who started a foundation, "Alive at 25," after the death of a Daphne teen at the hands of a distracted driver.

But, the groundswell in Daphne did not end there. The final push to pass the ordinance came from Jasmine Lee, Alabama's "Junior Teen Queen," who testified before the City Council in August, asking that Daphne ban texting.

Said Lee:

"There have been deaths in Daphne and other towns nearby from texting behind the wheel. I know some of my friends text and drive, and I’ve even been in the car while this was happening. I ask them to please stop. I wanted to protect teens and adults. It’s just as dangerous as driving drunk, and that’s a very scary thought. So I went to the City Council."

Did I mention that Jasmine is only 15 years old, not even old enough to drive? What a terrific example of safety and civic leadership she is setting for her peers.

Distracted Driving Summit on September 21 offers online access, full agenda of expert panelists

At the Department of Transportation, we have been working hard preparing for our Distracted Driving Summit (next Tuesday, September 21). And today I'm pleased to be able to announce the agenda for that Summit.

You can view the agenda at www.distraction.gov/2010summit; it features a terrific range of panels and speakers that should help us make an even bigger dent in the deadly epidemic of distraction.

By now, many readers know that the number of traffic deaths and injuries fell in 2009 to the lowest level since we began recording those statistics. But I hope everyone also recognizes that we can do better, and distracted driving is a key front in that ongoing battle.

Hundreds of thousands of people are still being killed or injured every year in accidents caused by distracted drivers.

That's why, from leading researchers and law enforcement officials to industry representatives and safety advocates, this year's summit will build on what we learned last year to help shape our fight for safer driving habits.

And if you want to follow the day's activities, we have a number of ways to keep you in the loop.

This WMATA Metrobus sends the message!

FAA guidance makes it clear: There is no room for distraction in the cockpit

Recent incidents have revealed that airline pilots are using personal electronic devices, including laptop computers and cell phones, in the cockpit. In one well-publicized instance, two Northwest pilots were using their laptops in flight and lost situational awareness; they flew 150 miles past their destination.

It doesn't take a safety expert to realize there is no room for distraction when your job is to get people safely to their destinations.

There's a lot going on in today's cockpit; adding laptops and cell phones only complicates the mix

Our Federal Aviation Administration already has what's known as the "Sterile Cockpit Rule," prohibiting pilots from engaging in any type of distracting behavior during critical phases of flight. Today, the FAA is distributing an "Information for Operators" (InFO) guidance that asks the airlines to address distraction through crew training programs. It also asks that airlines create a safety culture to control cockpit distractions.