Federal Government Tackles Distracted Driving
President Barack Obama signed an executive order banning federal employees from texting while driving on the job, the White House said. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood pledged to work with the Congress to ensure that the distracted driving issue is appropriately addressed, he said Thursday at a summit on distracted driving. Panelists urged more states to ban texting while driving, though some doubted the effectiveness of regulation.
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The order, signed Wednesday night, directs federal employees not to engage in text messaging while driving government-owned vehicles, when using electronic equipment supplied by the government while driving or while driving privately owned vehicles when they're on official government business. It also encourages federal contractors and others doing business with the government to adopt and enforce their own policies banning texting while driving on the job. LaHood said the order sends a clear signal: Distracted driving is dangerous and unacceptable.
Additionally, DOT is planning new regulations that would make permanent restrictions on the use of electronic devices in rail operations, ban text messaging altogether by interstate truckers and bus operators, and restrict their use of cellphones. The rules also would disqualify school bus drivers convicted of texting while driving from maintaining their commercial driver’s licenses, LaHood said. He also urged state and local governments to make combating distracted driving part of their highway plans and continue to pass state and local laws against distracted driving in all types of vehicles, particularly school buses. He suggested state and local governments support awareness campaigns and “high-visibility enforcement.”
LaHood seemed to emphasize drivers’ personal responsibility as his key message: “We are not going to break all bad habits, but will raise awareness.” Distracted driving is a nationwide issue that needs the federal government to play a role, said Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., urging a national policy. But the federal government shouldn’t force states to address the issue, said Oregon state Senator Bruce Starr, a Republican. He proposed incentive-based partnerships between states and the federal government.
Calling distracted driving an epidemic, Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said the “time has come to act before it’s too late.” He’s co-sponsoring the Alert Drivers Act, which would require states to ban anyone from texting or e-mailing while operating a moving vehicle. If the bill passes, states that fail to comply would risk losing federal highway funds. But some warned that regulations may be a set back for local efforts. “If you say the words federal mandate in Arizona, they will reach for their gun,” joked Arizona Rep. Steve Farley, a Democrat, warning there would be opposition. Whenever imposing the possibility of losing highway funding if states don’t comply, there’s resistance, Menendez noted. Federal engagement may be best in funding research and offering incentives to the private sector to develop technology to mitigate distracted driving, others said.
Maj. David Salmon, director of the traffic service division of the New York State Police, proposed not to limit the ban to cellphones and texting because technology will soon outpace such laws. A good law needs clarity and relevance so a police officer can effect enforcement, he said. Meanwhile, existing laws could be applicable, said Chairman Vernon Betkey of the Governors Highway Safety Association. Legislation alone won’t solve the problem and laws could be difficult to enforce, he said. Betkey favors a systematic approach that involves research and data, education, employer policies and technology.