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Second Distracted Driving Summit to Be Held in September This Year

It’s been an eventful year since the first Distracted Driving Summit was held in September 2009.  Several states have moved forward on passing legislation prohibiting the use of texting devices or hand-held cell phones while driving.  It is now the right time to convene another Distracted Driving Summit.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is convening the second such summit dedicated to distracted driving in September 2010.  According to the Secretary, the second National Distracted Driving Summit will bring together transportation officials, auto safety officials, law enforcement representatives, representatives of the auto industry, consumer groups and victims of families that have been affected by accidents caused by distracted driving.

The summit may be called the Distracted Driving Summit, but the obvious focus is on the distractions caused by technological devices, including cell phones at the wheel.  The Transportation Secretary has embarked on a crusade to force motorists around the country to switch off their cell phones and mobile devices while driving.  The challenge that the secretary faces are huge.  The number of text messages that Americans send and receive every year run into the billions, and many of these are sent while motorists are driving.  However, there has been a lot of progress made since the First Distracted Driving Summit was held last September.  It was the first such summit dedicated to cracking down on this highway safety menace, and since then, there have been several measures that states around the country have taken to keep motorists safe from distracted drivers.  For example, Georgia now has a ban on texting while driving, and other states have also imposed their own legislation, banning such practices behind the wheel. But the biggest accomplishment of the Department Of Transportation since the First Distracted Driving Summit last year, has been a ban on the use of texting devices for all commercial truck drivers.

California was one of the first states to have a ban on the use of handheld cell phones and texting while driving.  These bans are almost 2 years old, and enforcing the laws has proved to be a challenge.  California’s laws have suffered from light penalties for cell phone and texting violations.  However, there is legislation in the works that could increase penalties that motorists will have to pay for violating these laws.  California car accident lawyers and auto safety groups have always believed that steep fines and aggressive enforcement of these laws will lead to lower rates of cell phone use behind the wheel.

The summit is expected to coincide with action by Congress on a proposed auto safety bill that will also include anti-distracted driving efforts.  The expansive auto safety bill was developed in reaction to the massive Toyota recalls, but has included a number of safety measures, including those aimed at keeping motorists safe from distracted drivers.  In June, the Senate Commerce Committee passed the bill, but there will not be further progress on the bill until lawmakers return from summer recess.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of distracted driving accidents. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not representing any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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