U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Kicks Off Second National Distracted Driving Summit

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U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood kicked off the 2010 National Distracted Driving Summit by announcing new anti-distracted driving regulations for drivers transporting hazardous materials, commercial truck and bus drivers, and rail operators. Also, he identified more than 550 U.S. companies, employing 1.5 million people nationwide, that have committed to enacting anti-distracted driving employee policies in the next 12 months.

The Department of Transportation also released interim data from its pilot enforcement campaigns in Hartford, Connecticut, and Syracuse, N.Y., showing that its "Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other" enforcement efforts have already dramatically reduced distracted driving behavior in both cities.

In kicking off the 2010 national Distracted Driving Summit, Secretary LaHood announced that he is initiating a new rulemaking to prohibit commercial truck drivers from texting while transporting hazardous materials. In addition, Secretary LaHood announced that two rules proposed at last year’s summit have now become the law of the land. Rules banning commercial bus and truck drivers from texting on the job and restricting train operators from using cell phones and other electronic devices while in the driver’s seat have been posted.

"We are taking action on a number of fronts to address the epidemic of distracted driving in America," said Secretary LaHood.  With the help of the experts, policymakers, and safety advocates we’ve assembled here, we are going to do everything we can to put an end to distracted driving and save lives."