Federal Government Recruits Brain Trust for Crackdown on Distracted Driving

Online, June 10, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Can some of the brightest minds in the country come up with solutions to one of the deadliest problems on the nation's highways?

Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood aims to find out.

Recently, the DOT Secretary visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the nation's oldest universities and a renowned leader in science and technology.

He was there to issue a challenge to MIT students: Use your brains and know-how to stop distracted driving. More specifically, LaHood wants students to come up with a technology that will block a driver's cell phone while allowing passengers to continue to use theirs.

Was the challenge a speechwriter's gimmick to grab attention?

Not on your life.

Secretary LaHood is on a self-described "rampage" to eliminate distracted driving: commonly the practice of driving while texting or talking on cell phones.

Distracted driving is becoming an increasing menace on our roadways. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates at least 6,000 fatalities and 500,000 injuries result annually from distracted driving.

Harvard Center for Risk Analysis put the annual cost in property damage, lost wages and medical bills for car accidents resulting from distracted driving at about $45 billion. And some experts says the total number may be higher because few drivers will admit talking on the phone after an accident and - except in the case of a fatality -- phone records aren't always subpoenaed.

LaHood has been instrumental in the Obama administration's decision to ban government employees who use government-owned cars and cell phones from texting while driving. He backed United National General Secretary Ban's decision to issue a similar directive to UN employees, and he has consistently promoted awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. In enlisting the support of MIT students, he told them, "Your time at MIT is more than an opportunity. It's a responsibility."

LaHood posed a series of questions to MIT students:

--Can MIT researchers develop an app that blocks a driver's distracting devices without blocking the cell phones of passengers?
--Can MIT engineers help devise roadside methods of discovering a driver who is playing with electronics rather than focusing on the road?
--How can the dangers of distracted driving be communicated best to drivers?

Can this partnership with MIT bear fruit?

MIT students are considered among the nation's brightest; 75 Nobel Laureates, 47 National Medal of Science recipients and 31 MacArthur Fellows are currently or have previously been affiliated with the university.

But the technology isn't available yet, and when it is created, chances are it might be controversial in a nation addicted to cell phones. According to a number of studies, 91 percent of the U.S. population owns cells phones, and in 2008, at any given moment, over 800,000 Americans were texting, making calls or using a handheld cell phone while driving during daytime.

In the meantime, the number of fatalities and injuries keep growing. Experts such as Jim Adler, a Houston car accident lawyer, say it's vital that drivers understand the dangers of texting while driving. "It's vital to send a clear message to all drivers that texting and cell calls are dangerous and can cause catastrophic car accidents. Then, to some extent, the public must police itself, curb those calls and 'hang up and drive,' " Adler said.