6,000 distracted driving deaths put cell phones in cross hairs
The U.S. Department of Transportation this morning kicked off its two-day summit on distracted driving, reporting that 6,000 people died last year in traffic accidents caused by distracted drivers.
The summit was called by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who wants traffic experts to look at the hazards presented by drivers who are talking or texting on their cell phones. Along with the traffic deaths, another half million people were injured in accidents, according to the Associated Press.
“To put it plainly, distracted driving is a menace to society,” LaHood told more than 300 participants at the government’s ‘distracted driving summit.’ “Distracted driving is an epidemic and it seems to be getting worse every year.”
Clearly, it is texting that’s going to receive the most attention during the gathering in Washington D.C. Already there is a movement in Congress to withhold some federal highway funding from those states that don’t ban texting or emailing while driving.
Ultimately, LaHood said, he wanted the meeting to set “the stage for finding ways to eliminate texting while driving.”
Previous efforts to reduce drunken driving and encourage motorists to wear seat belts taught the government a “valuable lesson,” LaHood said. “We need a combination of strong laws, tough enforcement and ongoing public education to make a difference.”
Tim has covered a wide range of topics, including tourism, crime, aviation and gambling, since becoming a reporter in 1990. The Oklahoma native joined the Post-Dispatch in 2007 after spending nine years in Orlando. In his spare time, he's often exploring one virtual world or another. He can be reached at tbarker@post-dispatch.com. 
Again, ban talking and texting on cell phones all you want. They are unenforceable laws that just make people feel like the govt is “doing something”
Until technology is developed which will block cell phones from working while the engine is running or car is in motion, these “laws” will do nothing. I’m surprised no one has some up with an application that uses the phones built in GPS to shutdown the phone or block texting when the unit is going over a certain speed. There, I just gave someone a patentable idea. Run with it.
I’ll be the first to say it here, you can’t fix stupid. However, technology can be used to limit it’s effects on others.
It’s not the cell phone, it’s the idiot people. It is possible to talk on a phone and drive at the same time without being distracted to the point of crashing. If you’re going to do that then outlaw passengers. You can talk to them and get just as distracted.
I don’t know what “distrated” means, but it sounds really bad!
every once in a while i will answer my phone while driving however i only do so when i know i can handle it.
one time i saw someone driving and talking on their phone and the guy was gesturing with his hands! hold the wheel buddy, they can’t see you.
AJ that is an interesting idea but it has a flaw, cell phones have helped save lives of people in the process of being abducted. If someone was kidnapping you and you were in a car that was running shutting down a cell phone would be the last thing you would want if you had one in your back pocket.
No one, NO ONE should be texting while driving. Hands free headsets should be mandatory if using the cell phone in the car while driving. It is possible to talk on the phone and not get distracted Netboy but a little harder to do if you have to hold the phone to your ear.
If you need to make a phone call, or even take a phone call so badly then pull off the highway or where ever you are park and make the call. You risk not only your life, but the lives of the people around you when you make such a simple yet stupid mistake. Same goes for applying makeup or anything else you can come up with.
When driving you should be focused on two things. 1. the road ahead of you and just basic driving. and 2. The people around you. If you are doing anything else you are asking for an accident. Why would you ever take the risk?
And who, may I ask, is going to enforce this law? Every cop from every municipality I encounter is on a cell phone. The only exception would be the City of St. Louis. Any explanation there?
Why not ban everything - no talking to passengers, no singing to music, no eating food, no drinking beverages of any kind, no driving if you have a cold because you may sneeze. GIVE ME A BREAK - yes there are stupid people who can’t drive and talk on the phone but there are also stupid people that can’t walk down the street and talk on the phone. If there was a way to ban stupidity it would have been done!
Hands-free.
Rachel,
Yes, everything has flaws. However, people don’t get kidnapped every day. You have to weigh the probability of that happening into the proposal.
My suggestion is “economically efficient” because it is applied at the point of immediate use. Yes, some will say they could call about a traffic accident. Yes, you can do that, by pulling over and then calling.
Wow. I had to put my laptop down and pull over to the side of the road to read this one.