Transportation Sec. Says Laws Alone Won’t Make Dangerous Driving Disappear

By Ravi Bhatia, Talk Radio News Service

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood delivered closing statements Thursday at the Distracted Driving Summit hosted at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C, saying that the U.S. can not combat dangerous driving habits through legislation alone.

“We won’t make the problem go away just by passing laws,” said LaHood.

“We cannot simply legislate behavior and expect to get the kinds of results we need to improve road safety … People need to use common sense and show some common decency and consideration for al the other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. We need a high level of personal responsibility.”

According statistics compiled for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, distracted driving accounted for 16 percent of traffic fatalities in 2008 and 22 percent of injury crashes. The variable “Driver Distracted by” includes other occupants in the vehicle, eating or drinking, vehicle systems and electronic devices, among other secondary tasks.

“Driving while distracted should feel wrong,” LaHood said. “Just like driving without a seatbelt or driving while intoxicated is wrong. We are not going to break every one of [drivers’] bad habits, but we are going to raise awareness and sharpen the consequences.”