BMW’s North American CEO Jim O’Donnell and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently hung out in Washington, D.C. to raise awareness about the problem of distracted driving. O’Donnell showed LaHood materials from BMW’s DRIVE IT HOME, DON’T TXT & DRIVE campaign, which was piloted this year in driving schools across the country and will be [...]
United States Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said he believes drivers are distracted by any use of mobile phones while driving – including hands-free Bluetooth usage of mobile devices. LaHood’s department is now beginning research that may lead him to push for a ban of cell phones in vehicles altogether. LaHood said his concerns for distracted [...]
At the 2010 National Distracted Driving Summit two days ago, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released interim data from its pilot enforcement programs currently underway in Hartford, Connecticut and Syracuse, New York. Carrying on with a catchy title – ‘Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other‘ – the year-long pilot campaigns were launched [...]
At the national summit on distracted driving yesterday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that the government wants to limit the technology that would allow people to update their Facebook account or surf the Internet while driving. Many automakers are starting to offer WiFi technology in their vehicles. LaHood said that he will meet with [...]
During a national summit on distracted driving, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood suggested that cell phones should come with a cigarette-style warning label showing users the dangers of distracted driving. He said that offering warnings at the time of purchase would make more sense. “When you go in to buy your phone, maybe there’s a big [...]
With the increasingly widening range of mobile technology devices we use and our constantly on-the-go lifestyles, it is no wonder that the number of roadway accidents occurring as the result of distracted driving is staggering and out of control. It is estimated by the DOT that 5,474 lives were lost last year as a result [...]
With 33,808 fatalities caused by traffic incidents, 2009 saw the lowest rate of automotive-related deaths since 1950, the year the statistic was first tracked. Although the actual number of fatalities was 33,186 back in 1950, the number of deaths per vehicle mile driven has gone down significantly. The 2009 fatality count represents 1.13 deaths per [...]
The U.S. DOT is set to hold a second distracted driving summit in September. September could also possibly see Congress considering an overhaul of our auto safety laws. DOT boss Ray LaHood said that his second summit will aim to bring together “leading transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement, industry representatives, researchers and victims affected [...]
Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, said yesterday that while seat belt use has increased to a record high 84 percent nationwide, 45 million Americans are still not buckling up. LaHood said that the Department of Transportation is now kicking off its Click It or Ticket program, a national enforcement mobilization that encourages all motorists [...]
During his visit to Toyota Motor Corp. world headquarters today, U.S. Transport Secretary Ray LaHood said he was encouraged by the steps the company has put in place to improve vehicle safety; however, he said that he will only be fully convinced when its cars actually become safer. “I believe that they have put in [...]
