The 2010 national Distracted Driving Summit was designed to shine a light on the dangers of distracted driving, and it’s not just us regular drivers that are getting a stern warning in the form of a law. It’s also commercial truck and bus drivers who are banned from texting while driving.

This new ban covers drivers who transport hazardous materials, commercial truck and bus drivers, and rail operators. Many companies have already jumped on the band wagon – already, 1,600 corporations have banned distracted driving (this affects 10.5 million drivers), while another 500 companies will follow suit in the next year.

The pilot enforcement campaigns have been running in Hartford, Connecticut and Syracuse, New York. In Hartford, Connecticut 4,956 tickets have been passed out to texting or talking drivers, while in Syracuse, New York, another 4,446 citations have been issued. These results show that efforts have already dramatically reduced distracted driving behavior in both cities.

In addition to these new policies, the U.S. Department of Transportation has been working closely with the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety (NETS) to engage the private sector to promote anti-distracted driving policies in the workplace.

Distracted driving in a huge issue and the numbers don’t lie. In 2009, nearly 5,500 people died and half a million were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) research, distraction-related fatalities represented 16 percent of overall traffic fatalities in 2009.

As part of their commitment to help reduced teen driving fatalities, Toyota is offering  a free advanced teen driving skills program called “Toyota Driving Expectations.”

To be held at Bass Pro Shops in October, a Toyota Driving Expectations event will be held in the following cities:

• Foxborough, Mass., October 2 – 3
• Clarksville, Ind., October 9 – 10
• Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., October 16 – 17

The program has been running since 2004 and has involved more than 14,000 teens and parents participants who have been empowered to become safer drivers and have been educated about the dangers of distracted driving.

Because motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teenagers (35% of teen fatalities), Toyota Driving Expectations aims to go beyond standard driver education classes. These classes challenge the teens in real-world scenarios, carried out in a secure environment.  A parent or guardian must attend the Toyota Driving Expectations program with the teen, so safe driving habits can be improved upon at home.

Just a few of the lessons included in the curriculum are defensive driving skills and accident avoidance techniques, being able to identify daily dangerous driving situations and being able to understand vehicle dynamics and safety features. Teens will also get to experience firsthand the dangers of distracted driving and understand the relationship between distraction and reaction time. While driving on different courses, teens are under the supervision of professional drivers.

Toyota is dedicated to supporting both teens and parents in developing safe, responsible driving habits and protecting them on the road,” said Michael Rouse, Toyota’s vice president of philanthropy and community affairs.  “In particular, by simulating real-world hazards such as distracted driving, teens and parents will learn how to best handle these situations – invaluable experience that goes beyond basic driver education training.”

It seems as though drivers can be distracted by just about anything. First, there was a lot of concern about cell phones, and then it was all about kids in the car. And don’t forget the dangers of eating and driving. Now we’ve got another distraction to add to the list: your pets.

A new study conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA) that was based on 1,000 dog owners who have driven with their pet in the car during the past year. They found that 31 percent of those who responded admitted to being distracted by their dog. Furthermore, 59 percent have engaged in various distracting behaviors involving their pets – this included petting their dog (more than 50 percent); allowing their dog to sit on their lap in the driver’s seat (21 percent); and giving their dog food and water or playing with them while driving.

Are you guilty of doing any of the above mentioned offenses? Even if you only do it for a few seconds, it can still increase the risk of a crash. In fact, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that taking your eyes off the road for as little as two seconds doubles your crash risk.

The study goes on to say the 88 percent of those polled drive with their pets on occasion, but only 17 percent use a pet restraint. It’s hard to think about, but an unrestrained pet can be a dangerous projectile in a crash, not only causing serious injury to your beloved pet, but also to all other passengers in the vehicle.

“An unrestrained 10-pound dog in a crash at 50 mph will exert roughly 500 pounds of pressure, while an unrestrained 80-pound dog in a crash at only 30 mph will exert 2,400 pounds of pressure,” says Beth Mosher, AAA Director of Public Affairs.

Many vehicles already come with special equipment packages that help keep your pet safety contained. As well, major pet stores and online retailers sell restraint harnesses and other devices to help keep you and your pooch safe on the road.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Anybody who’s anybody has their own app, and now you can add State Farm to the list of trend setters. This one will hopefully cut down on a few claims, as State Farm’s Android application automatically responds to text messages while you’re driving.

The new widget, called the “On the Move” widget, lets Android smartphone users to compose and preload customized messages that are sent as automated responses to incoming text messages. That means you can keep your eyes on the road and let the app respond to text messages for you. It tells texters that you’re busy at the moment, but will get back to them as soon as you can. It’s free to anyone with an Android smartphone as part of State Farm’s updated Pocket Agent for Android application.

“It is our hope that this widget will prevent crashes and save lives,” said Laurette Stiles, Strategic Resources vice president at State Farm. “This new service will help drivers manage the temptation to read or respond to text messages when they are behind the wheel. We wanted to make this widget available free-of-charge as just one of the ways we’re working to keep our roadways safe for drivers.”

With the app, Android owners can compose their own responses and save them for future use. It works with all incoming texts, or can be directed at those in your address book. Before you drive you car away, just activate the service and catch up on your texts when you get to your destination. Activating the service prior to driving is just one way to use the widget.

To activate the auto-response function, just turn on the widget and write or pick an auto-response message. Any text messages you get still come through and can be accessed in your inbox at any time.

Check out a video demonstration of the App after the jump:

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You look at the survey headline: “86 Percent Of Teen Drivers Are Distracted.” Of course, you go right to the evils of the cell phone – talking, texting, sending and reading email – or using advanced in-car features. Results from a survey conducted by AAA and Seventeen magazine found that 86 percent of those polled drove distracted – but they consider adjusting the radio and eating in the car as distractions.

In its survey of 2,000 drivers ages 16-19, the two distractions that teens engaged in most were adjusting the radio (73 percent) and eating (61 percent).  Coming in third was talking on a cell phone ( 60 percent).

Cell phone use is also more common with the current generation of teens, and many studies have found that  using a cell is distracting whether you’re using a handset or hands-free device.

And texting isn’t lost in this survey – thought to be one of the riskiest behaviours to partake in behind the wheel. About 28 percent of respondents admitted to texting while driving. This number may not seem as high as the others, but it should be noted that this 28 percent averaged sending 23 texts a month.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

You’d think that parents would want to set a good example for their teens, especially when it comes to good driving habits. But now a new study shows that adults are just as bad, maybe worse, than teens when it comes to sending and receiving texts while driving.

A study conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project looked at adult distracted driving habits. They took these results and compared them to a teen survey done by Princeton Survey Research International. The survey found that 47 percent of texting adults say they have sent or read a text message while driving compared to 34 percent of texting teens doing so.

Other interesting result from the survey found 75 percent of adults who own a cell phone admit they talk on their phones while driving. Compare this number to the 52 percent of cell-phone owning 16- and 17-year-olds – that translates to 61 percent of all adults, compared to 43 percent of teens. It makes you have to wonder if teens are smarter than their parents

Another surprising stat revealed was that 17 percent of the adults surveyed admitted to hitting another car or stationary object because of distracted driving. Other results show that around half of both adults and teens say they have been in a car while a driver was texting. Forty-four percent of adults and 40 percent of teens also noted dangerous cell phone use by the driver while they were passengers.

[Source: Ride Lust]

It’s easy to get distracted while you’re driving – especially if you’re a teen. Sometimes, the siren song of the cell phone can be too much to resist. In fact, recent studies state drivers under the age of 20 have the highest proportion of distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes at 16 percent. To combat this serious problem, Massachusetts’ Arbella Insurance Group Charitable Foundation has introduced the Distractology 101 tour, which offers  young drivers an up-close and personal look at the dangerous and deadly effects of distracted driving.

Set to hit various locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island over the next three years, Arbella will be touring in a 36-foot long neon yellow mobile trailer equipped with two driving simulators that will teach them how to stay focused and safe while on the road. Teens can get behind the wheel and see how they would do in a variety of real-world scenarios that take them through the dangers of distracted driving.

Arbella joined forces with labs from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to develop the program. At the end of the three years, about 10,000 novice drivers will have taken the simulator training, as well as an online curriculum and safe driving pledge.

The effects of distracted driving are similar to driving while drunk, as shown by multiple studies. Data from the National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA) shows that almost 6,000 people were killed and more than a half million injured in 2008 as a result of distracted driving. Other studies have shown that the risk of crashing while texting is 23 times higher than driving while drunk.

After the jump, watch the video that demonstration how the program works. For more information about this program and tour stops, visit DistractU.com.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

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We all know how dangerous it is to text while driving, but a recent survey shows that we just can’t keep our hands on the wheel and our eyes on the road ahead of us. It seems like we have to multitask no matter what we’re doing and among our favorite things to do while behind the wheel includes performing sexual acts and getting undressed.

In a survey commissioned by hands-free headset maker Jabra, they polled 1,800 drivers in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Russia and Japan. It seems that while we’re not allowed to text while driving, we’re going to find other ways to be distracted. According to the results, 72 percent of drivers eat or drink regularly, while 35 percent admit to getting dressed or undressed. A frisky 15 percent have made the drive a lot more interesting by engaging in sexual intercourse or other sexual acts, while 29 percent have kissed while driving.

In order to catch a few more minutes of sleep in the morning, 23 percent used their commute to style their hair and 13 percent admitted to applying makeup. Other ways to pass the time while stuck in traffic include reading the newspaper or a magazine (10 percent), reading or writing e-mails (12 percent), send a text message (28 percent), play a video game (5 percent) and  shave (5 percent).

[Source: Jalopnik]

Drivers who text have just met their worst enemy – the United Nations. In an attempt to end distracted driving, the United Nations has launched a new campaign aimed to stop texting while driving.

This new program, named “Global Call to Action on Ending Distracted Driving,” has plenty of supporters in high places, including United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.  The program, which is available in all languages, focuses on driving safety and putting down the cell phone. There’s also a Facebook page you can join where you can support the cause.

Accidents caused by distracted driving are on the rise – in fact, between 80-90 percent of accidents are caused by driver behavior like distracted driving. Other interesting stats from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveal that 1.2 million people die on the roads each year and another 20-50 million are injured. WHO also projects that by 2030 crash fatalities will become the 5th leading cause of death, surpassing HIV/AIDS, cancer, violence, and diabetes. There are currently 600 million cars on the road and 4.6 billion cell phone subscriptions.

[Source: Consumer Reports]

Happy No Phone Zone Day!  When Oprah Winfrey talks, people listen. Now, Oprah is telling you to shut up – well, at least while you’re driving. The talk show diva has partnered with the Governors Highway Safety Association and a variety of other agencies to get the message out about distracted driving.

On a special live show airing today (April 30), she’ll be dedicating the hour to the dangers of driving and cell phone use. It might not be the sexiest of topics, but it’s an important one, especially since many provinces and states have passed cell phone laws that penalize drivers using hand-held mobile phones and devises.

The show is promoting a new awareness campaign called “No Phone Zone,” which cautions drivers not to talk or text on their mobile devices while driving. During this special episode, Oprah will interview the families of victims of distracted driving collisions, as well as government officials, advocacy organizations, parents, youth, and law enforcement officers to discuss best practices and steps to limit distracted driving.  The hour-long Oprah Winfrey Show will also host viewing rallies in cities across the US, including Detroit, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

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Tomorrow, if you pick up a copy of USA Today or The Washington Post, you’re likely to see Volvo’s full page ad, calling for legislation on “distracted driving.” The ads come on the very day that the U.S. Department of Transportation begins its two day Distracted Driving Summit to discuss the issue. Along with senior DOT staff, the summit will also host elected officials, safety advocates, academics and law enforcement representatives. Volvo, however, is not a participant, although the company that has built a reputation for vehicles that are, above all else, safe, obviously has something to say on the matter.

“With the proliferation of cell phone use and text messaging while behind the wheel, distracted driving is on the rise and is a leading cause of traffic accidents,” said Doug Speck, Volvo Cars North America president and CEO. “Reasonable laws that help focus a driver’s attention on the road will help reduce collisions, just as laws to enforce seat belt use have helped save lives. By holding this summit, the DOT is demonstrating its commitment to resolve an ever-growing safety issue.”

Along with numerous safety innovations throughout the decades, more recently Volvo prides itself on electronic systems such as lane departure warning or even the new “City Safety” system which debuted on the XC60 (above), that can actually stop the vehicle when a collision is detected.

Currently only seven states have banned cell phone use (without a hands-free device) while driving, while 18 states have laws against texting while driving.

Official release after the jump:

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