AAA Applauds DOT Secretary’s Announcement of Federal Ban on Texting While Driving for Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators
Washington, D.C. - 1/26/2010
AAA welcomes today's announcement by US DOT to prohibittexting while driving for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) operators.
This action reinforces the fact that any form of distracted driving by any driver is a serious traffic safety issue.
"AAA appreciates thecommitment ofSecretary LaHood and Administrator Ferro to address this serious traffic safety hazard," said AAA Vice President of Public Affairs Kathleen Marvaso. "AAA's state advocacy agenda for 2010 includes enacting texting while driving bans in all 50 states."
Texting while driving presents a danger to all road users due to the significant time involved in writing, reading, and sending messages - all activities that take the driver's eyes off the road - in addition to the mental distraction caused by taking one's mind off the task at hand.Ample research illustrates the severely degrading effect that sending a text message has on driving performance.
"AAA strongly urges all drivers to focus on the important task of driving by avoiding all behaviors that result in distracted driving,"Marvaso added. "We look forward to continuing to work with the department on traffic safety issues, especially in the area of curbing distracting driving."
For more information on AAA's 50-state campaign to ban texting while driving, please visit AAA.com/publicaffairs.
As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.
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