America needs strong laws and a systematic approach to make it socially unacceptable for drivers to use hand-held electronic devices, Con-way Vice President of Government Affairs Randy Mullett told Congress last week.
Testifying on behalf of the American Trucking Associations before the Subcommittee on Highway and Transit of the House of Representatives Committee of Transportation and Infrastructure, Mullett said that some new technologies, particularly handheld electronic devices, increase driver distraction. Results of a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute driving study found that text messaging on a cell phone has an estimated combined crash and near-crash risk of 23 times higher than normal.
"Legislation alone will not solve the problem," said Mullett. "Public attitudes and perceptions will need to change and any legislation will have to apply to all drivers on the highway. We need to focus on changing behaviors that lead to distracted driving in a systematic and comprehensive manner."
