Skip to main content

Partnership to fight distracted driving

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced that the US DOT and Better Business Bureau will collaborate to educate consumers and businesses about the dangers of distracted driving. “Distracted driving has become a deadly epidemic on America’s roads,” Secretary LaHood said. “We know that educating people about the risk of distracted driving works, and we are pleased to be working with BBB to raise awareness and help businesses and consumers fight this problem.”
April 23, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSSUS Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced that the US DOT and Better Business Bureau will collaborate to educate consumers and businesses about the dangers of distracted driving.

“Distracted driving has become a deadly epidemic on America’s roads,” Secretary LaHood said. “We know that educating people about the risk of distracted driving works, and we are pleased to be working with BBB to raise awareness and help businesses and consumers fight this problem.”

The national website of the Better Business Bureau will feature a link to a free tool kit that provides employers with suggested distracted driving policies to help keep their employees safe. The kit, created by the USDOT and the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS), contains materials such as a sample company policy, a sample memo to employees on that policy, and a sample company press release.

In addition, Better Business Bureau’s national website will feature videos from USDOT’s “Faces of Distracted Driving” video series. The videos include heartbreaking stories from family members who have lost loved ones due to distracted driving accidents. Better Business Bureau will also provide a link to www.distraction.gov, a complete resource on everything having to do with distracted driving.

Nearly 5,500 people in the U.S. were killed and almost half a million were injured in accidents related to distracted driving in 2009. Eighteen per cent of those fatal accidents involved the use of a cell phone.

The US Department of Transportation’s campaign against distracted driving is a multi-modal effort that includes automobiles, trains, planes, and commercial vehicles.

Related Content

  • Secretary Foxx calls for transportation and technology summit
    September 8, 2014
    In a wide ranging speech to the World Congress opening ceremony, US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx (pictured) acknowledged the potential gains ITS can provide, praised the work already done and challenged the industry to work with USDOT on technical matters.
  • Prison sentence for holding a mobile device while driving
    February 5, 2015
    As of 1 February, it will be illegal for drivers in Singapore to hold any type of mobile device while driving. Previously, only calling or texting someone on a mobile phone was barred. Anyone caught holding any mobile device, phone or tablet, while driving can be found guilty of committing an offence; this means mobile phones and tablets. The new changes include not just talking or texting but also surfing the web, visiting social media sites and downloading material. The law also applies to just hold
  • Infrastructure funding and road user charging – debate continues
    February 1, 2012
    Jack Opiola provides an overview of the ongoing debate over US infrastructure funding and the progress – or lack of it – towards vehicles miles travelled road user charging. The future funding of transportation and mobility infrastructure is attracting increased attention. There has been sharp debate in the US, where landmark reports from the National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission and the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission both stated that the cu
  • China aims to boost road safety with drink driving crackdown
    April 25, 2012
    The authorities in China claim that tough new laws against drink driving are already having a major benefit for road safety, according to the official news agency Xinhua. The latest official statistics reveal a sharp drop in road accidents caused by drink driving over a recent long holiday weekend. The newly amended law imposes harsher punishments on drunk drivers, with police also taking a tough line on enforcement.