The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced the second-annual distracted driving summit will be held on Sept. 21 in Washington, D.C., as authorities continue to push cell phone and text messaging bans as a way to combat car accidents in Massachusetts and serious and fatal traffic accidents nationwide.
As we reported earlier this summer on our Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, Massachusetts is finally moving to ban text messaging by all drivers and to prevent young drivers from using cell phones while behind the wheel.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is pushing for all states to enact such measures. The federal government estimates that 6,000 motorists are killed and more than 500,000 are injured each year in accidents caused by distracted driving.
“Working together, we can put an end to the thousands of needless deaths and injuries caused by distracted driving each year,” said Secretary LaHood. “By getting the best minds together, I believe we can figure out how to get people to put down their phones and pay attention to the road.”
Following the inaugural summit last year, President Obama issued an Executive Order banning text messaging by all 4 million federal employees. The order applies to any employee operating a government vehicle.
The government credits the first summit with raising awareness about the dangers of cell phone use and text messaging while drivers. Thirty states currently ban text messaging while driving — 11 of those measures have been enacted so far in 2010.
If you have been injured in a Boston car accident, contact Massachusetts Injury Attorney Jeffrey S. Glassman for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call 877-617-5333.