President signs executive order banning Federal employees from texting and driving
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In addition, the government plans to ban text messaging by bus drivers and truck drivers who travel across state lines, and may also prevent them from using cellphones except in the case of an emergency. Transportation Secretary Ray H. LaHood said that he wants to end what he characterized as an epidemic of distracted driving. "This meeting is probably the most important meeting in the history of the Department of Transportation,” Mr. LaHood said. He went on to say that the Federal ban “sends a very clear signal to the American public that distracted driving is dangerous and unacceptable.” A spokesman for the Transportation Department said that the ban takes effect immediately and covers 4.5 million government workers and military personnel.
The ban for truckers and bus drivers is expected to take longer to put in place. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which regulates the trucking industry, there would first need to be a definition of “text messaging.” Another issue was that the initial ban would be on texting which would make it seem like something was getting done, but would leave out the bigger issue of driving while using the cellphone which is the more difficult problem according to David Strayer, a professor at the University of Utah who studies distracted driving.
source: NYTimes
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7 Comments
1. YouLostTheGame posted on 20 Oct 2010, 01:43 0 0
I wish this bozo would do something PRODUCTIVE with his presidency. I'm all for saving lives, but please! We've got a country divided on health care reform, Afghanistan, GITMO, the economy, effectiveness of "czars", etc. and he's putting his energy into extending the school year, and now this?! The truly sad thing is that we're not even through a single year of this; we've got another three to go.
2. whitman5115 posted on 01 Oct 2009, 23:15 0 0
I wish you were president, then you will see that all that you named takes more than a year to fix. Unlike a texting ban which probably took five minutes to do. BOZO!!! And if you got a job the economy isn't really effecting you. IS IT? It's not a dictatorship either, if he could just change things without a unanimous vote a lot would change. But he gets criticized for killing a fly.
3. Rager099 posted on 02 Oct 2009, 01:04 0 0
right!! the great wall of china was not made over night...smh
4. ToddD00 posted on 02 Oct 2009, 06:34 0 0
I would prefer to keep my rights from here out. And everyone that voted for this idiot can keep their "change".
5. cellhead (unregistered) posted on 02 Oct 2009, 07:11 0 0
What most folks overlook is the slow trickle of your loss of liberties. Whats next from our supreme leader? An edict limiting speech inside your vehicle, limiting your right to shove a breakfast sandwich down your throat while driving, putting the final coat of makeup on your face in traffic. All these are distractions to drivers. When will it end? Should we also ban screaming kids in minivans since they distract mom and dad during commutes. Welcome to the Nanny State!
6. whitman5115 posted on 02 Oct 2009, 13:14 0 0
What about limiting your rights to drink alcohol while driving? Or taking any other illicit drug. You sound like a moron, move on. Those same people that's putting on make up and eating sandwiches while they drive are killing the screaming kids in the minivans. HOMER!
7. whitman5115 posted on 02 Oct 2009, 13:15 0 0
Oh, and we cant ban the screaming kids, but we can keep em in their seatbelts and child seats.
