Report: Senate pushes distracted driving issue back to the states

Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology

If you were waiting federal government lay down law distracted driving, we’ve got bad news you. New bipartisan legislation Congress has effectively put issue back into hands individual states. That means that instead single, nationwide ban cell phone use while driving like most advocates were hoping for, we’ll likely stuck with same status quo few more years. According TheDetroitBureau.com, Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has voted approve a program that would provide grant incentives for states enact their own legislation curb distracted driving.

Thing is, program funded through existing programs, making it half-hearted effort address real problem. TDB sites statistics that claim 16 percent all traffic fatalities involve distracted driving, that in 2008, 6,000 people died as result of not paying attention to the road. So why didn’t Congress take stand enact legislation that would limit highway funding unless states brought in laws to stop drivers from using their cell phones behind the wheel?

The short answer appears to be that no one D.C. willing to do anything that might upset large selection of voters this close to November. So do us favor know your limits behind the wheel. Honestly, that call or text can wait.

[Source: TheDetroitBureau.com | Image: Getty]

Report: Senate pushes distracted driving issue back to the states originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 Jun 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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