More than 3 million employees aren’t allowed to text or use hand-held phones while driving for business now that a federal order has taken effect.
President Obama’s ban allows federal workers to use cell phones while driving if they have hands-free devices. There are also exemptions for certain law enforcement and national security employees.
Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Ray LaHood has called on businesses to lead through example by enacting employee policies for cell phone use while driving for work purposes. In a recent speech to the American Chamber of Commerce Executive Board, LaHood said, “Don’t send text, don’t use your cell phone, your iPod, or your Blackberry when you’re behind the wheel.”
The DOT has also just launched Distraction.gov, a Web site that pulls together all of the federal government’s information on distracted driving.
LaHood says the government is using every tool at its disposal, including technology and the rule-making process, to get a handle on the problem of using cell phones while driving.
What is the best way for the government to address this issue? Should it encourage use of technology that would make it impossible (or at least difficult) to use a cell phone while driving? Or should laws be enacted to make it a crime? Let us know what you think in the Comments Box below.
