WASHINGTON – At the conclusion of a two-day summit on distracted driving in Washington, D.C. today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a series of concrete actions the Obama Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) are taking to help put an end to distracted driving.

Last night, President Obama signed an Executive Order directing federal employees not to engage in text messaging while driving government-owned vehicles; when using electronic equipment supplied by the government while driving; or while driving privately owned vehicles when they’re on official government business.  The order also encourages federal contractors and others doing business with the government to adopt and enforce their own policies banning texting while driving on the job. 

“This order sends a very clear signal to the American public that distracted driving is dangerous and unacceptable. It shows that the federal government is leading by example,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “I fully expect that all 58,000 DOT employees and contractors will take this order seriously. Let’s show our friends and families that we can resist the temptation to answer the phone, send a message, or allow some other distraction to interfere with our driving.”

Secretary LaHood pledged to work with Congress to ensure that the issue of distracted driving is appropriately addressed.  He also announced a number of immediate actions the Department is taking to combat distracted driving, including the Department’s plan to create three separate rulemakings that would consider:

Making permanent restrictions on the use of cell phones and other electronic devices in rail operations.

Banning text messaging altogether, and restrict the use of cell phones by truck and interstate bus operators.

Disqualifying school bus drivers convicted of texting while driving, from maintaining their commercial driver’s licenses.

The Secretary also called on state and local governments to work with USDOT to reduce fatalities and crashes by making distracted driving part of their state highway plans, and by continuing to pass state and local laws against distracted driving in all types of vehicles, especially school buses.  He asked states and local governments to back up public awareness campaigns with high-visibility enforcement actions.  And he said the Department is establishing an on-line clearinghouse on the risks of distracted driving, aimed especially at young people, which will give them information to help encourage good decisions.

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Two teenagers were killed shortly before midnight on New Year’s Day, when the driver of a Ford sedan traveling at a high rate of speed crashed into a traffic barrier in the 1800 block of North Loop 288.

Another passenger in the car was taken by helicopter ambulance to Methodist Medical Center in Dallas, where he was pronounced dead from a lacerated aorta, according to officials.

There were three other teenage passengers in the car who are being treated for minor injuries at Denton Regional Medical Center, said Denton police Capt. Lenn Carter. By Candace Carlisle

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