Kelley Book Survey inspires Distracted Driving Laws

Fatal accidents that have been related to cell phone use in the car continues to be rising significantly nationwide as well as the state regarding Ohio has taken steps to combat it.
With more than One hundred deaths in Kansas due to folks distracted traveling situations given that 2005 as well as 22 fatalities last year based on Ohio Department of Community Safety brand new laws tend to be forming.
Last year, 5,474 people died about U.Azines. roadways inside accidents involving distracted drivers, up Twenty-two percent through 2005, in line with the National Interstate Traffic Security Administration. Of those crashes, 20 percent included the use of cellular phones, the NHTSA mentioned, compared to Ten percent in August 2005.
Never the actual less, the actual Kelley Blue Guide survey implies that there is not speedy move with regard to drivers that will put down their cell phones.
Practically a quarter, or perhaps 22 % of the 7,700 responding to the online questionnaire, admitted using a cell phone although driving in the past 30 days. Tough luck percent utilized their cell phones to send texting, while Twelve percent said they were diverted by messing with systems. And 7 percent mentioned they were distracted using an iPod while generating.
“These results are agonizing, the general public must be aware that taking a call although driving can mean taking a existence!" mentioned Mark Howards, a spokesman for that Ohio Section of Transportation.
It’s impossible to express exactly how lots of fatal accidents involved individuals who were chatting, dialing or perhaps texting on their own cell phones due to the fact Ohio doesn’t demand police to report whether a cellular phone was current or in utilize at the time of a crash.
Still, law enforcement officials have become more aggressive concerning monitoring motorists with cellular phones.
“In the past, ‘Was any cell phone included?’ may not have been one of the first queries an officer requested when they attained a crash landscape, but it certainly is now,” stated Frank Petuche, a spokesman for your Ohio Department of Transportation.
Thirty says, including Kentucky and also Indiana, have taken steps in order to curb mobile phone use by drivers through enacting bans on texting whilst driving.
Lawmakers in Kansas have delivered similar recommendations before the legislature that could bring the state into the retract. But, up to now, the only sending text messages bans in the state are those adopted by cities and municipalities, including Columbus, which approved a text messaging ban within May.
Amanda-m Wurst, a speaker for Gov. Ted Strickland, stated the governor is actually reviewing a number of those plans and believes “it’s an important objective to improve safe driving procedures on our roads.”
Meanwhile, Congress is actually working to complete legislation which may speed up the actual adoption associated with texting bans nationwide.
The particular “Distracted Driving Reduction Act” would give declares two years to enact laws barring drivers from sending textual content or e-mail communications or danger losing 25 percent of their federal government highway funding annually.
The particular legislation had been passed from the Senate Commerce Committee in June however no more votes have been taken given that Congress recessed for the mid-term elections.

The cost of Distraction

One parent told me that they talked to their teenage son for months about the dangers of using the cell phone in the car. Nothing seemed to make an impact. Until this video.

Thank G-D is was a video that made the impact instead of a tree or worse

Warning Warning Warning.... This video is NOT for the weak hearted

Another Family Lost in the Car Accident
Simone Cole was taken by a car accident. Sort of speak. Jus prior she sent a text message to her mother. It did not say calling from the next world, It was regarding Thanksgiving but the family would not have. A doctor had just told her that her son, Kyler Allen Eldon Cole, would be induced on Thanksgiving eve if he were not born by then.

US Government No Texting Law Sample

SAMPLE LAW TO PROHIBIT TEXTING WHILE DRIVING

The purpose of this sample legislation is to provide a framework for state legislatures to use to prohibit texting while driving. While there are many sources of driver distraction, there is heightened concern regarding the risks of texting-while-driving. The act of composing, sending or reading text messages interrupts drivers’ cognitive attention, causes vision to be directed away from the road, and compromises manual control of the vehicle.

While evidence is accumulating on the effects of other sources of driver distraction, a number of states have enacted laws addressing cell phone use and/or texting while driving. Although laws alone will not fully resolve the problem, this sample language is offered as an important step in addressing the growing concern about driver distraction. In 2009, more than 135 billion text messages were sent or received in a one-month period in the U.S., an 80 percent increase over the rate in 2008.

The U.S. Department of Transportation held a Distracted Driving Summit on September 30 - October 1, 2009 in Washington, D.C. to examine the full spectrum of distracted driving across transportation modes: passenger vehicles, large trucks, trains and transit. More than 250 leading traffic safety experts, safety advocates and government officials gathered to define the problem and discuss how best to address it. The summit generated broad agreement among public and private sector organizations and policymakers about the need for texting-while-driving laws. Public surveys also confirm widespread community support for texting bans.

In further recognition of the serious risk posed by texting-while-driving and to demonstrate Federal leadership, President Obama issued an Executive Order on October 1, 2009.1

By the end of 2009, 19 states and the District of Columbia had enacted legislation banning texting-while-driving for all drivers, while a number of other states had laws covering specific types of drivers, such as novice drivers or school bus drivers. However, these laws vary in their design and scope. In 2009 alone, more than 200 driver distraction bills were considered and analysts expect that state legislatures will remain active in coming years as evidence accumulates and the call to take action on this issue becomes yet more urgent. The Order prohibits Federal employees from texting while driving Government owned vehicles or privately owned vehicles while on official Government business or from texting-while-driving using wireless electronic devices supplied by the Government.

Texting laws are relatively new and have not been thoroughly evaluated. However, considering the rapid emergence of the problem and the growing evidence showing the threat to the safety of all road users, safety advocates and state legislatures are compelled to move forward, basing texting legislation on the broad foundation of principles learned from seat belt laws, impaired driving statutes and similar legislative initiatives, while more specific scientific evidence is gathered. This sample law reflects current circumstances and state of knowledge, but may be

1 See www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/2009-obama.html and click on Executive Order 13513 for more information.

revised in the future to incorporate new research findings, address evolving technologies, or to harmonize with other legislation.

In addition to enacting a texting-while-driving law, states may consider other steps to address the issue, including enhanced public awareness and law enforcement programs and improved police crash reports that document specific distractions involved in crashes. Since the prevalence of texting is particularly high among teens, legislatures may also choose to include specific consequences under their graduated drivers licensing law for texting violations by novice drivers, such as delayed full licensure.

The following organizations participated in the development of this sample law: Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AAA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CTIA- The Wireless Association, Governors Highway Safety Association, ITS America, International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Safety Council, The National Traffic Law Center of the National District Attorneys Association, Safe Kids USA, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The sample law – either in its entirety or in its individual provisions - does not necessarily reflect the positions of any of the individual participating organizations.

Halt Teens and Others for Distracted Driving

The leading cause of worker fatalities is motor vehicle crashes. This is such a big problem that the Departments of Labor and Transportation are working together on a solution to one of the biggest causes of car crashes - distracted driving.

Since a car, truck, or bus can be workplace, OSHA trying to protect drivers.

Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health, told Federal News Radio his agency has seen more and more "workers killed injured maimed in automobile crashes where texting played a role."

Under a new "distracted driving" rule, it's a violation of OSHA law to require an employee to text while they're driving.

For now, said Michaels, they're focusing only on texting. OSHA isn't at the point yet to issue violations for talking on the phone.

The whole federal government is moving together. President Obama began by issuing the executive order banning federal employees from texting, and we're following that. I think we're going to do more research and look at this larger question. We understand this is a major cultural change. Just to say you can't speak on the phone at all, from an OSHA point of view, is a big stretch. On the other hand, many states...have laws that you can't speak on the phone unless you have a hands-free device.

OSHA is launching a multi-pronged initiative to get the word out, but most importantly, said Michaels, is hearing back from drivers. "Tell us. If there's a policy or a procedure that's making you text while you drive, OSHA wants to know." Call 1-800-321-OSHA (1-800-321-6742) "and we'd like to know about this and we will investigate and we'll issue citations against employers."