Wed Sep 22, 2010 12:23 pm
Targeting distractions behind the wheel, the Obama administration is proposing the addition of warning labels on phones to alert consumers of the dangers of talking and texting while driving.
"We're going to work with our friends in the technology industry to maybe think about, when you go in to buy your phone, maybe there's a big warning label on the box: 'Do not use this device while you're driving,'" said Ray LaHood, the U.S. Transportation Secretary.
He added that distracted driving is an "epidemic" that killed thousands and injured nearly half a million on U.S. roads last year. LaHood is advocating tough new laws and public education as part of the campaign against driving while distracted.
Many states are already taking measure against distracted driving. Since last year, twelve states have passed laws against text messaging while driving, bringing the total number of states with messaging bans to 30. The U.S. capital, Washington, D.C., prohibits mobile phone use while driving, as does the U.S. island territory of Guam.
Eight states prohibit the use of mobile phones while driving, while other states ban new drivers from using a mobile phone when at the wheel.
Greater awareness of the problem, legal bans and stiffer punishments, have decreased the number of deaths and injuries due to distracted driving to 5,500 from 5,870 a year earlier, according to LaHood.
A poll conducted in June found that one in four U.S. drivers admitted to text messaging while driving, and more than six in 10 adults and four in 10 teens said they have talked on the phone while driving.
But the transportation secretary is continuing with his battle against driving while distracted, announcing a slew of other measures including a ban on texting for drivers of trucks carrying hazardous materials, a regulation prohibiting train operators from texting, and a law banning commercial bus and truck drivers from texting on the job.
"Distracted driving is unsafe, irresponsible, and in a split second, its consequences can be devastating," said LaHood. "Its victims aren't statistics. They are moms and dads, sons and daughters, the men and women in this audience who have planned funerals instead of birthdays or weddings."
Convincing the technology industry to put warning labels on its devices against driving would be a prominent reminder that careless use of mobile phones can indeed have serious consequences.
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