Posted on 08/04/2009 4:46:28 AM PDT by Red in Blue PA
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration will convene a summit of experts to figure out what to do about the problem of texting while driving, a practice studies and a growing number of accidents show can be deadly.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will announce his decision to gather senior transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement representatives, members of Congress and academics who study distracted driving at a news conference Tuesday. The summit will take place next month.
If it were up to him, he would ban texting while driving, LaHood said in prepared remarks released by his office.
However, past safety initiatives like seat belts have shown that a simple ban often isn't enough to get drivers to change their habits unless it's accompanied by education and enforcement, he said. "When we are done, I expect to have a list of concrete steps to announce," LaHood said.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The word summit has lost all meaning.
Airbags on mobile phones...
10th Amendment anyone? It really does look like the feds have jumped the shark here. And I didn’t know that old Ray cared for people as much as I did when he was a Republican.
So.... Zero is going to dictate local traffic laws now? And fools still believe that the Fed Govt hasn’t become a centralized dictatorship that acts without restraint.
Never fear, when the Republicans take over again they will revoke these overreaching Federal powers. /s
ACTUALLY, common sense says "No talking on the phone or texting while driving".
If you find one texting while he/she is the driver then take the car and put then in jail as they do for beer driving.
I assume Captain Obvious will be chairing the summit?
States should simply pass laws banning texting while driving. Many already have.
Honestly, I can’t believe anyone would even think of texting while driving. Obviously, texting require way too much use of a driver’s hands, eyes and mind to be safely done while driving.
Aren’t there already laws that address driving while distracted?
And how is this a federal issue?
Is this for real? Is this from The Onion or Scrappleface?
How about a “summit” on how we wipe with toilet paper, how many squares per poop?
Are there any other more minute areas of our lives that the Obammy ObaMao regime couldn interfere in?
It’s more government expansion and intrusion that is already being addressed on the local and state levels. This summit will use this as an excuse to exert more control over the people. All this ignores the fact any distraction while driving is dangerous.
One more time: it’s none of Congress’ business! This is yet another of thousands of problems to be resolved by the states!
Congress is a cesspool of liars, thieves, inside traders, traitors, drunks (one who killed a staffer, yet is still revered), criminals, and other low level swine who, as individuals (not all, but many), will do anything to enhance their lives, fortunes and power, all at the expense of the People of the United States and its Constitution, in order to be continually re-elected.
highways are funded by fed money; they will use the interstate commerce clause to empower themselves....just like they did with abortion.
They don’t need a summit. They just want the photo ops.
Idiots.
Make the penalty for causing an accident whilst texting commensurate with the penalty for burglary.
If the accident involves fatality, increase the penalty up to the level of vehicular manslaughter. There should be a fairly linear continuum between the two points.
Then treat the offense as simply another cause of distracted driving - if caught outside an accident, one receives a ticket.
There. Now they can give me the money they’d have spent on their summit (probably getting loaded at the bar before driving home).
Hammer meet nail.
Plus there is the added"benefit" of returning home and campaigning on the fact you stopped those horrible dangerous texters with a new law, maybe they will find a cute child victim to name the law after, that is always worth some more votes.
It’s a states issue, not a federal one.
But I am tired of taking evasive action because
of someone texting (or pushing buttons) on their cell phone while driving.
I’m on a motorcycle and they are aiming a fully loaded vehicle at me.
Deadly weapon.
That’s how I see it.
So many important issues to deal with. Gee, where to begin? I know, let’s worry about TEXTING!
(and yep, I put it on 'Eleven')
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