Federal Agency Plans Distracted Driving Forum

[groovedaddy]

The secretary of transportation on Tuesday announced a plan for a “distracted driving summit,” an action that safety advocates say is a shift in the federal government’s recognition of the dangers of behind-the-wheel multitasking.

The action by the executive branch on the issue comes a week after several senators proposed withholding federal highway money from states that fail to ban texting while driving. Congress has used the tactic sparingly to persuade states, which set driving laws, to make changes. But the moves by the federal government underscore the growing focus on the dangers of texting and talking behind the wheel.

The meeting, which is tentatively scheduled to take place in September, is intended to give safety experts, academics, elected officials, the police and others an opportunity to discuss legal and policy changes.

But safety advocates also said the meeting would fail to make a difference if it did not lead to policies that begin to affect drivers’ behavior as seat belt and drunken driving laws have.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/us/politics/05drive.html?th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&adxnnlx=1249488062-ULIbp11FiD56iqstOqJsHw

[valerief]

1. That's great. I wish they'd have a tailgater forum. My tailgaters are very focused.

And very close.