The Department of Transportation said it will host its “distracted driving” summit in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 30 - Oct. 1.
“Safety is our number one priority,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “As we become a more mobile and wireless nation, we can't afford to ignore new technology's impact on roadway safety.”
LaHood first announced plans for such a summit on such things as texting while driving and talking on hand-held phones earlier this month.
The summit will bring together senior transportation officials, elected officials, safety advocates, law enforcement representatives, private sector representatives and academics to address a range of issues related to reducing accidents through enforcement, public awareness and education, DOT said in a statement.
It will include interactive sessions on a number of key topics including the extent and impact of distracted driving, current research, regulations and best practices.
Truckers who text from the driver’s seat are about 23 times more likely to have a crash, or at least a close encounter, than are drivers who are watching the road, according to a recent study for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. (Click here for previous story.)
The summit will be available live by webcast and members of the public will be given the opportunity to submit questions online for each individual panel discussion.
DOT has created a Web site to provide information and updates on the summit at: www.rita.dot.gov/distracted_driving_summit
