On September 30 and October 1, DOT will hold a summit to determine the best ways to reduce the number of crashes and deaths due to distracted driving. According to an Aug. 18, 2009 DOT press release, the distracted driving summit will bring together senior transportation officials, elected officials, safety advocates, law enforcement representatives, private sector representatives and academics to address a range of issues related to reducing accidents through enforcement, public awareness and education. Authoritative speakers from around the nation will lead interactive sessions on a number of key topics including the extent and impact of distracted driving, current research, regulations and best practices.
Participants will also examine distractions caused by current and planned automotive devices, such as navigational systems. The summit's second day will include a panel of state and local officials to discuss solutions from their perspectives.
The summit will be available live by webcast and members of the public will be given the opportunity to submit questions online for each individual panel discussion.
DOT has created a website to provide information and updates on the summit at: http://www.rita.dot.gov/distracted_driving_summit/ .