Second Distracted Driving Summit to Be Held in September 2010
Buoyed by the success of the first National Distracted Driving Summit last year, the US Department of Transportation has announced that a second summit will be held on September 21, 2010 in Washington DC.
It’s been an eventful few months since the first summit.During this period of time, several states, including Georgia, have made progress towards the banning of technological distractions at the wheel.In Georgia, we now have a ban on texting while driving for all motorists, and a ban on the use of cell phones while driving for motorists below the age of 18.The law is now in effect, and violators may be fined $150.
There have been several other signs of progress since the summit in 2009.Earlier this year, the federal administration banned federal employees from using their government-issued cell phones while driving government-issued vehicles.That was followed by a ban on cell phone use for commercial bus and truck drivers.A new victims’ advocacy organization, established on the lines of Mothers against Drunk Driving, has been set up.The organization is called Focus Driven, and the aim is to lobby for laws against distracted driving across the country.The Department of Transportation now has a website devoted exclusively to distracted driving-related issues.Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has even taken his anti-distracted driving message to the United Nations, calling on all countries to spur efforts against this menace.
With 6,000 people killed every year and counting, it’s clear that distracted driving is this generation’s drunk driving.Many motorists are still unconvinced about the accident risks from using a cell phone while driving. That attitude must change.
The Atlanta auto accident lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent injured victims of automobile accidents in and around the metro Atlanta region, and across Georgia.