Tag Archives: distracted driving

DOT Distracted Driving Rule Bans Hand-Held Phone use by Commercial Drivers, but Allows Hands-Free Cell Phones

The latest DOT rule falls far short of a recommendation in September from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to ban the use of all cell phones – hand-held and hands-free – by commercial drivers except in emergencies. NTSB made the recommendation after a horrific crash in Kentucky between an 18-wheeler and a van killed 11 people. Continue reading

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NTSB Wants Cell Phone Ban for Commercial Drivers

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended banning the use of all types of cell phones by commercial drivers except in emergencies. The Safety Board said cell phone use by the driver of an 18-wheel semi truck was the … Continue reading

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DOT’s LaHood Praises BMW as it Enables Distracted Driving?

BMW, the luxury brand that is in the process of becoming the first automobile manufacturer in the world to have voice-read e-mail messages inside its vehicles, has been singled out for praise by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation for claiming it is against texting and driving? Continue reading

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BMW Left Turn Assistant Looks at Oncoming Traffic for You

Left turn assistant is a complicated piece of engineering, which demonstrates the power of electronic sensors and software to do virtually anything. It also begs the question of how much safety via sophisticated devices is enough or too much, depending on your point of view. Continue reading

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Electronic Devices Gain in Importance for New Vehicle Buyers

NHTSA – in a states’ rights argument that goes back to at least the Civil War during the 1860s – is forbidden by Congress from regulating drivers on a national basis, that power is reserved for the individual states, whose legislators show little interest in outlawing the demonstrably dangerous devices in automobiles. Continue reading

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Microsoft and Toyota Partner on Next-Generation Telematics

Microsoft Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) today announced they have formed partnership and plan to build on Microsoft’s Windows Azure platform for TMC’s next-generation telematics services using the Windows Azure or cloud platform. Continue reading

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Department of Transportation Releases New “Faces of Distracted Driving” Video. Deadly DD Epidemic Continues

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today released the latest video in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s “Faces of Distracted Driving” series.

The video features Loren Vaillancourt, whose 21-year-old brother Kelson was killed in a 2009 distracted driving crash in Huron, South Dakota. Continue reading

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Cell Phones Prevail as Dominant U.S. Electronic Device. Distracted Driving Enabler Now Owned by 85% of Adults

Cell phones are now the most prevalent electronic device among U.S. adults, with an 85% ownership rate, and 90% of all adults—including 62% of those ages 75 and older—living in a household with at least one working cell phone. Continue reading

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FocusDriven Distracted Driving PSA: 5,500; How Many More?

FocusDriven, the first national non-profit organization advocating for victims of distracted driving has released new Public Service Announcement or PSA titled, “5,500; How Many More?”

The PSA highlights that nearly 5,500 people are killed and half a million more are injured in distraction-related crashes annually. The auto industry and electronics makers whose devices are enabling distracted driving thus far show no interest in helping to curb this growing safety problem. And the U.S. Congress has forbidden federal safety regulators form promulgating national standards or rules. Continue reading

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DOT Secretary LaHood Blasts Distracted Driving Yet Again

Congress has prohibited DOT from enacting national regulations governing driving behavior, so LaHood can do little about it except use his “bully pulpit” to address the growing issue, which has been called repeatedly an epidemic by safety advocates. Continue reading

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OnStar Presidential Shakeup. Preuss Out. Marshall In

As a lifelong public relations professional, Preuss was likely much more sensitive to the growing distracted driving problem than Wall Street and other executives who emphasize growth with little or no concern for the social problems that the growth might cause. Continue reading

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OnStar Starts Voice Application Student Competition

OnStar is looking for new in-vehicle voice-enabled applications through a contest at five U.S. universities.

The growing telematics subsidiary of General Motors is a leader in the controversial area of in-vehicle electronics OnStar is interested in working with students who are studying voice application development. The voice platform allows OnStar to provide more connectivity to subscribers.

This also might enable more distracted driving accidents, currently responsible for 6,000 deaths and more than 500,000 serious injuries each year, according to the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics. A total of 33,808 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes in 2009. Another 2.22 million people were injured. Continue reading

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NHTSA Administrator Strickland Visits NAIAS Show Promoting Jobs, Not Safety? The Endless Partison Political Campaign Continues

The man responsible for traffic safety in the United States, David Strickland, visited the North American International Auto Show – NAIAS – this week promoting the Obama Administration’s jobs agenda – or at least the let’s talk, but do little, part of it, with nary a word about traffic safety. Continue reading

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DOT Proposes Rear View Visibility Rule. Endless Regulation?

The U.S. Department of Transportation today proposed a new safety regulation designed to help eliminate blind zones behind vehicles that can hide the presence of pedestrians, especially young children and the elderly. Continue reading

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Wisconsin Outlaws Texting while Driving

Wisconsin is now the 30th state in the country – in addition to Washington DC and Guam – to ban texting while driving. Wisconsin’s new primary law, which went into effect today, carries fines between $20 and $400 for drivers found text messaging behind the wheel. Continue reading

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