Feds: Distracted Driving an 'Epidemic'

Calling distracted driving an “epidemic,” the Obama administration convened a two-day meeting to figure out how to get a cell phone and text-happy nation to leave their handheld communication devices alone in the car.

Last year, 5,870 people were killed and 515,000 injured in crashes where at least one driver was reported to be distracted, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Currently, 18 states and the District of Columbia have made texting while driving illegal; seven states and D.C. have banned talking on handheld cell phones while driving. The U.S. Senate is considering legislation sponsored by U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) that would tie 25% of states’ annual highway funding to enacting a texting ban.

Driver distraction can also come from fiddling with the radio, looking at a map or eating. You can’t outlaw everything that distracts someone, and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood noted that much of the responsibility lies with drivers to make sure they’re operating their cars safely.

Furthermore, as we’ve pointed out so many times, many researchers are convinced that hands-free communication devices like Bluetooth are nearly as distracting as holding the phone to your ear. So what do you do about emergency systems like OnStar or voice-recognition technology like Ford’s Sync?

A texting ban seems like a good place to start at least, but there are plenty of questions to answer before a national policy comes into focus.

Administration Takes Aim at Distracted Driving (New York Times)