Agenda for the Distracted Driving Summit Released by DOT

The summit will be convened by Ray LaHood, transportation secretary, who announced the agenda earlier this month.
The purpose of the summit is to bring together traffic safety experts, researchers, elected officials and members of the public to discuss views and voice their opinions on what can and should be done to improve driving safety and reduce distractions that often cause motorists to become involved in accidents. Over 200 people are expected to attend, and the DOT's website contains a news release that states that interactive sessions will feature five panels, along with auto safety experts. The panels will include one each for data, technology, policy, research and outreach.
A discussion of the size of the problem will begin the summit, along with an examination of many of the distractions that attract motorists attention while they are at the wheel. An additional panel will examine current data that has been researched over the past several years, and serious distractions that are caused by technology will be examined as well. Discussions will include what efforts have already been made to lessen the occurrence of accidents caused by electronic devices, along with possible technologies that may be used to prevent the risks of distractions of drivers.
The second day of the summit will allow participants to examine and evaluate legislative and regulatory measures to deal with distractions, and the enforcement of these measures. Elective lawmakers will participate in these talks, and a special discussion will include teenage drivers describing their own experiences with driving distractions. Public education campaigns have begun in efforts to reduce distracted driving, and the effectiveness of these campaigns will be examined by the panel.
The summit can be viewed at http://www.rita.dot.gov/distracted_driving_summit/, and questions can be submitted pertaining to each panel discussion. Some of the participants at the summit will include Bruce Magladry, Director of the Office of Highway Safety, NTSB, Janet Froetscher, President and CEO of the National Safety Council, and Ann Shoket, editor-in-chief of Seventeen Magazine.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joel McLaughlin
The Reeves Law Group has offices across California that are dedicated to representing personal injury victims, including victims of car accidents.