By Khalida Sarwari
A local state lawmaker responsible for California’s “hands-free” cell phone law is one of about 200 people participating in a summit on distracted driving today in Washington, D.C.
State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, was invited to participate in the U.S. Department of Transportation summit by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Other participants include transportation experts, safety advocates, law enforcement representatives and researchers from across the country.
The summit aims to identify ways to reduce traffic collisions and fatalities caused by distracted drivers.
“My hope is that I’ll learn about what is happening in other states around the country and be the beneficiary thereof,” Simitian said.
Simitian authored a California law that went into effect in July 2008 that requires motorists to use a hands-free device, such as a Bluetooth or headset that does not cover both ears, while talking on the phone behind the wheel.
Simitian also authored a law that prohibits drivers under 18 from talking on a cell phone at all while driving, and a law that prohibits texting while driving. Those laws went into effect in July 2008 and January of this year.
“I introduced these bills for a simple reason,” Simitian said. “I think they save lives and the results prove that.”
Over the last three years, Simitian said, traffic fatalities have declined by 20 percent.
“I think the first results are encouraging, and equally encouraging were the number of collisions, which are down by 6,000 a month,” Simitian said. “If it means one more person sitting at the dinner table at the end of the day, that’s gratifying to me.”
LaHood opened the two-day conference at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C., with a session titled “Driving Distraction and Inattention: Definitions and Data,” in which highway safety officials and other panelists discussed the nature of the problem, Simitian said.
In another session later today, members of Congress will discuss the idea of regulation on a national level, he said.
“I think continued enforcement and education will be key to enforcement of the law,” Simitian said.
In 2010, Simitian plans to evaluate the effectiveness of the hands-free law and consider areas that need improvement, including whether fines are too modest, whether fines should count as moving violations, and whether cyclists should be subject to the same laws as motorists.
Information about the Distracted Driving Summit can be found online at http://www.rita.dot.gov/distracted_driving_summit/.