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Government at Work:
The bill (S. 1536) – Avoiding Life-Endangering and Reckless Texting by Drivers (ALERT Drivers) Act – was prompted in part by studies by Virginia Tech and the University of Utah, which found that drivers were much more likely to crash if texting while driving, according to Sen. Charles Schumer, D-NY, one of four sponsors of the legislation. These studies found that texting was more distracting to drivers than using a hand-held cellular telephone or being intoxicated.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced the agenda for the Distracted Driving Summit on Tuesday, September 30 and Wednesday, October 1. Over 200 safety experts, researchers, elected officials and members of the public will gather in Washington, D.C. to share their experiences, provide feedback and develop recommendations for reducing the growing safety risk that distracted driving is imposing on our nation’s roads.
“We must act now to stop distracted driving from becoming a deadly epidemic on our nation's roadways,” said Secretary LaHood. “This Summit will give safety leaders from across the nation a forum to identify, target and tackle the fundamental elements of this problem.”
The Distracted Driving Summit will bring together respected leaders from around the country for interactive sessions on the extent and impact of the problem, current research, regulations, best practices and other key topics. The two day Summit will feature five panels – on data, research, technology, policy, and outreach – with a range of experts discussing each topic.
The Summit will begin with a context setting panel where participants will examine the scope of the issue and the various distractions that exist, followed by a panel that will review currently available research. Day one wraps up with an examination of distractions caused by technology and efforts made to assess and reduce negative effects caused by current and planned devices. Panelists will also consider technology that can prevent the consequences of driver distraction.
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