MY Aunt Lynn was killed on 14 MAR 2010 by someone who lost control of their car while talking on their cell phone while driving. The driver who T-boned my aunt's car walked away from the accident. Politicians that allowed this behavior to be legal then and still are just as guilty of killing her and hundreds of others as the drivers themselves.
By John Crawley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. safety investigators called on Tuesday for a nationwide ban on texting and cell phone use while driving, a prohibition that would include certain applications of hands-free technology becoming more common in new cars.
The National Transportation Safety Board recommendation covers portable devices only but still goes beyond measures proposed or imposed to date by regulators and states, most of which already ban texting while behind the wheel.
"When it comes to using electronic devices, it may seem like it's a quick call or a quick text or a tweet, but accidents happen in the blink of an eye," said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. "No emails, no texts, no calls. It's worth a human life."
More than 3,000 people were killed in distracted driving crashes in the United States in 2010, according to Transportation Department figures.
Most motorists participating in a Transportation Department survey released last week acknowledged few situations in which they would not use a cell phone or text while behind the wheel although they supported measures to curb the practice.
The five-member NTSB recommendation to states for a ban, except in an emergency, stemmed from an investigation of a Missouri chain-reaction crash that killed two people last year, an accident blamed on a driver who was texting.
The panel's action follows nearly 10 years of investigating transportation accidents linked in some way to distraction and is not binding. But the safety board has long been effective at articulating national transportation safety priorities and its views can be influential in legislative or regulatory decisionmaking.
Congress has shown no interest in banning cell phone use or texting while driving. So far 35 states and the District of Columbia ban texting while driving, but fewer than a dozen prohibit using a cell phone.
The Transportation Department has waged an aggressive public campaign on the issue under Secretary Ray LaHood that has included limited bans.
"There's no call or text message that's so important that it can't wait," LaHood said.
LaHood has raised concerns about distracted driving and hands-free technology with automobile companies but has not prompted federal action or asked industry to stop putting it into new vehicles.
Cell phones and communication technology is ubiquitous and sweeping bans like the one proposed by the NTSB are considered difficult to enforce, experts have said.
This is one reason why federal and state restrictions so far have focused on the most obvious distraction - texting - or targeted individual groups, like truckers or federal workers.
The auto industry has invested heavily in hands-free communications technology, like Bluetooth, that is now available in most 2012 models sold in the United States as standard or optional equipment.
"It actually is a big decisionmaker for some consumers," said Jesse Toprak, a vice president of TrueCar.com, who noted that Ford Motor, in particular, has been aggressive in using it to attract younger buyers who may not otherwise have considered one of their cars.
Ford referred inquiries to the industry's trade group in Washington, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which said it was reviewing the NTSB recommendation.
"What we do know is that digital technology has created a connected culture in the United States and it's forever changed our society: consumers always expect to have access to technology, so managing technology is the solution.
"Features that are integrated into the vehicle, and are designed by automakers are engineered to be used in the driving environment. That means it's designed to be used in a way that helps drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel," the group said.
The trade association representing carriers, suppliers, and manufacturers of wireless products said texting while driving is "incompatible with safety."
CITA-The Wireless Association deferred to individual states on "what they believe are the most appropriate laws" and said it has always encouraged industry to develop tools that would create safer driving.
(Editing by Christopher Wilson)
BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!"
Showing posts with label Sec of Transportation LaHood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sec of Transportation LaHood. Show all posts
15 December 2011
21 April 2011
United Streetcar Putting Americans to Work, Putting America in Position to Win The Future 12APR11
THIS is way cool, I love streetcars!
When you watch our latest video, "Transporting America: United Streetcar," you'll see the next generation of transportation. You'll see transit investments from the Department of Transportation helping people get where they need to go without breaking the bank. And you'll see a company out-innovating and out-building its foreign competition while creating jobs for American workers.
The streetcars rolling through Portland, Oregon, are helping commuters beat the rising cost of refueling their cars and vans and trucks. And, as rising gas prices take a bigger bite out of family budgets, other communities are looking to ease that bite through similar transportation options.
As commuter Jim Winkle says in the video, "It's made a huge difference."
That's why the Department of Transportation has supported streetcar projects in communities like Portland across America. From Charlotte, North Carolina, and Washington, DC, to Tucson, Arizona, and Dallas, Texas, grants from the Federal Transit Administration are helping jump-start the American streetcar renaissance.
United Streetcar president Chandra Brown agrees: "The Department of Transportation has been a true partner as the streetcar industry has developed. Without their assistance, we could not have made the private investment to make this new industry successful."
That's good news for commuters and their families. It's also good news for American workers because, at United Streetcar, they're manufacturing the first American streetcars in more than 50 years.
And we mean "American." The cars rolling out of United Streetcar have the highest percentage of American parts and labor of any streetcar in the last 50 years. That means United Streetcar's innovation is creating an economic ripple effect, providing business for an all-American supply chain of more than 200 different vendors in 20-plus states across the U.S.
I love the idea of DOT grants helping create American jobs, and I love the idea of helping American families with options to ease the pinch they feel at the pump. But there's also the pride I hear in workers--like welder Steve Goodman and construction foreman Casey Peacock--who know that for the first time in more than 50 years America can build its own streetcars.
And not only build our own streetcars--this company is bold enough to take on its foreign competitors by planning to export the cars they make.
President Obama has challenged Americans to dream big and build big. United Streetcar has risen to that challenge, and they’re doing it all with American parts, labor, and ingenuity. That means less congestion on our roads, more jobs for American workers, and a future we are prepared to win.
Ray LaHood is the Secretary of Transportation.
When you watch our latest video, "Transporting America: United Streetcar," you'll see the next generation of transportation. You'll see transit investments from the Department of Transportation helping people get where they need to go without breaking the bank. And you'll see a company out-innovating and out-building its foreign competition while creating jobs for American workers.
The streetcars rolling through Portland, Oregon, are helping commuters beat the rising cost of refueling their cars and vans and trucks. And, as rising gas prices take a bigger bite out of family budgets, other communities are looking to ease that bite through similar transportation options.
As commuter Jim Winkle says in the video, "It's made a huge difference."
That's why the Department of Transportation has supported streetcar projects in communities like Portland across America. From Charlotte, North Carolina, and Washington, DC, to Tucson, Arizona, and Dallas, Texas, grants from the Federal Transit Administration are helping jump-start the American streetcar renaissance.
United Streetcar president Chandra Brown agrees: "The Department of Transportation has been a true partner as the streetcar industry has developed. Without their assistance, we could not have made the private investment to make this new industry successful."
That's good news for commuters and their families. It's also good news for American workers because, at United Streetcar, they're manufacturing the first American streetcars in more than 50 years.
And we mean "American." The cars rolling out of United Streetcar have the highest percentage of American parts and labor of any streetcar in the last 50 years. That means United Streetcar's innovation is creating an economic ripple effect, providing business for an all-American supply chain of more than 200 different vendors in 20-plus states across the U.S.
I love the idea of DOT grants helping create American jobs, and I love the idea of helping American families with options to ease the pinch they feel at the pump. But there's also the pride I hear in workers--like welder Steve Goodman and construction foreman Casey Peacock--who know that for the first time in more than 50 years America can build its own streetcars.
And not only build our own streetcars--this company is bold enough to take on its foreign competitors by planning to export the cars they make.
President Obama has challenged Americans to dream big and build big. United Streetcar has risen to that challenge, and they’re doing it all with American parts, labor, and ingenuity. That means less congestion on our roads, more jobs for American workers, and a future we are prepared to win.
Ray LaHood is the Secretary of Transportation.
04 March 2011
Rick Scott Rejects Obama Administration's Last-Ditch Pitch On High-Speed Rail 4MAR11
SO stupid, but a bonus for other states.........Hey Florida, how's that tea-bagger thingy working out for ya????
WASHINGTON -- Putting a formal end to attempts to satisfy his concerns with the project, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has rejected a last-ditch effort by the Department of Transportation to build a portion of a national high-speed rail system in his state.
Scott had what an official described as a "not long" phone conversation with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Friday morning, informing LaHood that he would continue to refuse $2.4 billion in federal funds for the project. The money will likely now be available to other states.
LaHood met with Scott earlier this week while he was in Washington for a conference of governors, attempting to satisfy Scott's concerns with the project following his rejection of it the previous week. At that time, Scott had insisted that overruns could end up costing his state more than $3 billion.
That meeting set the end of the week as the deadline for Scott's final answer to LaHood. Scott relayed during a 9 a.m. call Friday that he was not budging.
"[The Governor] spoke with US DOT Secretary LaHood this morning and informed him that Florida will focus on other infrastructure projects and will not move forward with any federal high speed rail plan," Scott spokesman Brian Burgess said.
The move puts Scott at odds with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in his own state, including several who launched a longshot lawsuit against the governor in an attempt to secure the money without his approval. That suit was dismissed on Friday morning.
Shutting down the project may also put Florida at a severe disadvantage against other states who now stand to benefit from Scott's refusal of the rail funds.
A senior official with the Department of Transportation told The Huffington Post that DOT "now plans to evaluate our options for making this $2.4 billion available to states eager to develop high-speed rail corridors, where the business case is strong, in regions across the United States."
New York, California, and several other states have already petitioned LaHood's office for Florida's funds.
"The Obama Administration's bold high-speed rail plan will not only create jobs and reinvigorate our manufacturing sector in the near term, it is a crucial and strategic investment in America's future prosperity," LaHood said in a statement. "I know that states across America are enthusiastic about receiving additional support to help bring America's high-speed rail network to life and deliver all its economic benefits to their citizens."
WASHINGTON -- Putting a formal end to attempts to satisfy his concerns with the project, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has rejected a last-ditch effort by the Department of Transportation to build a portion of a national high-speed rail system in his state.
Scott had what an official described as a "not long" phone conversation with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Friday morning, informing LaHood that he would continue to refuse $2.4 billion in federal funds for the project. The money will likely now be available to other states.
LaHood met with Scott earlier this week while he was in Washington for a conference of governors, attempting to satisfy Scott's concerns with the project following his rejection of it the previous week. At that time, Scott had insisted that overruns could end up costing his state more than $3 billion.
That meeting set the end of the week as the deadline for Scott's final answer to LaHood. Scott relayed during a 9 a.m. call Friday that he was not budging.
"[The Governor] spoke with US DOT Secretary LaHood this morning and informed him that Florida will focus on other infrastructure projects and will not move forward with any federal high speed rail plan," Scott spokesman Brian Burgess said.
The move puts Scott at odds with a bipartisan group of lawmakers in his own state, including several who launched a longshot lawsuit against the governor in an attempt to secure the money without his approval. That suit was dismissed on Friday morning.
Shutting down the project may also put Florida at a severe disadvantage against other states who now stand to benefit from Scott's refusal of the rail funds.
New York, California, and several other states have already petitioned LaHood's office for Florida's funds.
"The Obama Administration's bold high-speed rail plan will not only create jobs and reinvigorate our manufacturing sector in the near term, it is a crucial and strategic investment in America's future prosperity," LaHood said in a statement. "I know that states across America are enthusiastic about receiving additional support to help bring America's high-speed rail network to life and deliver all its economic benefits to their citizens."
13 November 2010
Not So Fast: Future For High-Speed Rail Uncertain 12NOV10
THE ignorance of these governors elect is astonishing, especially with the high unemployment rates in their states, the uncertainty of any unemployment extensions from this Congress and the fact that Talgo already has 40 employees in Milwaukee with plans to increase their workforce to 125, all making high-speed trains.....good paying American jobs that can only increase in numbers as more rail lines are added and passenger loads increase. Now that is all at risk.......if the voters of Ohio and Wisconsin are looking for someone to complain to and blame I hope they realize all they have to do is look in a mirror. For more on this see my earlier post on this blog 'NEW GOP GOVERNORS KILL $1.2 BILLION IN HIGH-SPEED RAIL JOBS' 6NOV10
High-speed rail may be among the casualties of last week's midterm elections.
The governors-elect of Wisconsin and Ohio say they will reject hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding intended to start up new high-speed passenger rail service in their states, even though the projects require their states to pay nothing upfront. Florida's governor-elect may do the same.
The moves to oppose the Obama administration's efforts to get high-speed trains whisking through some parts of the country appear to be the first of many fights between Democrats and newly elected Republicans who campaigned on promises to rein in spending.
And even states such as Illinois that want high-speed rail and tout its benefits could face a day of reckoning with the changing of the guard on Capitol Hill.
Rep. John Mica (R-FL), who is in line to be chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, says he wants to re-examine all $10 billion worth of high-speed-rail grants already awarded around the country.
High-Speed Rail Is 'Dead'
"That train is dead," announced Republican John Kasich at his first press conference as Ohio's governor-elect. "I said it during the campaign: It is dead. We are not gonna have it." Kasich has said he will reject $400 million in federal funds meant to establish passenger rail service from Cleveland to Columbus and Cincinnati.
In Florida, Republican Gov.-elect Rick Scott suggests he might not take $2 billion for high-speed rails linking Tampa to Orlando and Miami.
And Wisconsin's Republican Gov.-elect Scott Walker says he will turn down more than $800 million in federal funds for high-speed trains between Milwaukee and Madison.
"The bottom line is, right now, I've seen no scenario where the taxpayers of the state of Wisconsin aren't gonna be on the hook for millions of dollars," Walker says. "And to me, unless there was an ironclad agreement that showed me otherwise, I'm not interested, and I think the majority of voters made that very clear in the election."
Riding the wave of anti-big-government sentiment that swept them into office, Walker and other Republicans have been slamming the Obama administration's stimulus-funded high-speed-rail projects around the country as $10 billion in boondoggles that would benefit too few travelers.
"Maybe it's time for the administration to reconsider the billions of dollars spent on high-speed rail," Walker says, "and instead, put those funds into the use for roads and bridges, not only [in] Wisconsin, but across the country."
The Answer Is, 'No'
Walker and Kasich wrote to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asking that they be allowed to repurpose the funds. But LaHood's response is, "No."
In letters to both governors-elect, LaHood points out their states already received hundreds of millions in stimulus funding for roads and bridges, and that this money can only be spent on high-speed rail.
Rejecting the high-speed-rail funds could prove to be quite costly to the incoming governors and their states' taxpayers, and not just in the thousands of jobs that killing the rail projects cost.
In Wisconsin, for example, if Walker turns away the federal funds, his state's taxpayers will be on the hook for close to $100 million in costs already incurred and in improvements that must be made, which the federal funding would have paid for, according to outgoing Gov. Jim Doyle's office.
Doyle adds that the state would only be required to pay an estimated $7.5 million subsidy to help operate the trains between Milwaukee and Madison, and that amount could be reduced by additional federal funds and if ridership exceeds expectations, as it has in neighboring Illinois.
Ohio's share of operating funds is estimated to be $17 million once Amtrak service would be established in the "3C" corridor, between Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. But if the state rejects the federal funds, Ohio might be required to pay the $25 million already being spent on studies of the proposed rail line.
If the new governors do not want the federal funding, LaHood says the money will be reallocated to other states that want improved, cleaner and more efficient transportation options and the thousands of jobs the high-speed-rail projects would create.
Already, officials in New York, Illinois and California are trying to put dibs on the more than $3 billion Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin might give up.
Workers In The Middle
Caught in the middle of the backlash are workers for companies such as Talgo, a manufacturer of high-speed trains that just opened a new plant, bringing jobs to Milwaukee.
According to spokeswoman Nora Friend, Talgo will have 40 employees by the end of November, and it plans to hire up to 125 positions. Friend says the company is now faced with telling its workers they might be out of jobs when the trains they are making now are completed.
"If we don't have any more orders, then as a business entity, we have no choice but to shut down the facility," Friend says.
A Dream Off The Rails?
Downtown Chicago's Union Station is already a busy commuter hub, but Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, has dreams of something quite busier.
"In my dream, this station is completely replaced," Harnish says, "and it's replaced with a facility that's on par with the new station in Guangzhou, or the new station in Beijing."
With a boost from the Obama administration's stimulus package, Union Station was on its way to becoming the hub of a high-speed-rail network linking several Midwest cities, says Harnish.
"You could get from [Chicago] to any major city in the Midwest within three hours," Harnish says.
But those dreams of fast trains full of passengers zooming through the Midwest might soon be knocked off the rails.
Courtesy of Talgo Inc. High-speed-train manufacturer Talgo plans to produce its Series 8 passenger cars, shown above in a rendering, in Milwaukee. Wisconsin Gov.-elect Scott Walker says he will turn down federal funding for high-speed rail, putting Talgo's new Milwaukee factory and jobs at risk.
The governors-elect of Wisconsin and Ohio say they will reject hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding intended to start up new high-speed passenger rail service in their states, even though the projects require their states to pay nothing upfront. Florida's governor-elect may do the same.
The moves to oppose the Obama administration's efforts to get high-speed trains whisking through some parts of the country appear to be the first of many fights between Democrats and newly elected Republicans who campaigned on promises to rein in spending.
And even states such as Illinois that want high-speed rail and tout its benefits could face a day of reckoning with the changing of the guard on Capitol Hill.
Rep. John Mica (R-FL), who is in line to be chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, says he wants to re-examine all $10 billion worth of high-speed-rail grants already awarded around the country.
High-Speed Rail Is 'Dead'
"That train is dead," announced Republican John Kasich at his first press conference as Ohio's governor-elect. "I said it during the campaign: It is dead. We are not gonna have it." Kasich has said he will reject $400 million in federal funds meant to establish passenger rail service from Cleveland to Columbus and Cincinnati.
In Florida, Republican Gov.-elect Rick Scott suggests he might not take $2 billion for high-speed rails linking Tampa to Orlando and Miami.
Enlarge Jay LaPrete/AP Ohio Gov.-elect John Kasich (left) answers questions during a news conference. Kasich says he will reject $400 million in federal funds meant to establish high-speed passenger rail service from Cleveland to Columbus and Cincinnati.
Jay LaPrete/AP
Ohio Gov.-elect John Kasich (left) answers questions during a news conference. Kasich says he will reject $400 million in federal funds meant to establish high-speed passenger rail service from Cleveland to Columbus and Cincinnati.
"The bottom line is, right now, I've seen no scenario where the taxpayers of the state of Wisconsin aren't gonna be on the hook for millions of dollars," Walker says. "And to me, unless there was an ironclad agreement that showed me otherwise, I'm not interested, and I think the majority of voters made that very clear in the election."
Riding the wave of anti-big-government sentiment that swept them into office, Walker and other Republicans have been slamming the Obama administration's stimulus-funded high-speed-rail projects around the country as $10 billion in boondoggles that would benefit too few travelers.
"Maybe it's time for the administration to reconsider the billions of dollars spent on high-speed rail," Walker says, "and instead, put those funds into the use for roads and bridges, not only [in] Wisconsin, but across the country."
The Answer Is, 'No'
Walker and Kasich wrote to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asking that they be allowed to repurpose the funds. But LaHood's response is, "No."
In letters to both governors-elect, LaHood points out their states already received hundreds of millions in stimulus funding for roads and bridges, and that this money can only be spent on high-speed rail.
Rejecting the high-speed-rail funds could prove to be quite costly to the incoming governors and their states' taxpayers, and not just in the thousands of jobs that killing the rail projects cost.
That train is dead. I said it during the campaign: It is dead. We are not gonna have it.
Doyle adds that the state would only be required to pay an estimated $7.5 million subsidy to help operate the trains between Milwaukee and Madison, and that amount could be reduced by additional federal funds and if ridership exceeds expectations, as it has in neighboring Illinois.
Ohio's share of operating funds is estimated to be $17 million once Amtrak service would be established in the "3C" corridor, between Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. But if the state rejects the federal funds, Ohio might be required to pay the $25 million already being spent on studies of the proposed rail line.
If the new governors do not want the federal funding, LaHood says the money will be reallocated to other states that want improved, cleaner and more efficient transportation options and the thousands of jobs the high-speed-rail projects would create.
Already, officials in New York, Illinois and California are trying to put dibs on the more than $3 billion Florida, Ohio and Wisconsin might give up.
Workers In The Middle
Caught in the middle of the backlash are workers for companies such as Talgo, a manufacturer of high-speed trains that just opened a new plant, bringing jobs to Milwaukee.
NPR Special Series
On The Fast Track? Sept. 4, 2009
"If we don't have any more orders, then as a business entity, we have no choice but to shut down the facility," Friend says.
A Dream Off The Rails?
Downtown Chicago's Union Station is already a busy commuter hub, but Rick Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, has dreams of something quite busier.
"In my dream, this station is completely replaced," Harnish says, "and it's replaced with a facility that's on par with the new station in Guangzhou, or the new station in Beijing."
More On Train Travel
For Amtrak Riders, It's All Aboard Despite The Cost
The Northeast corridor is wildly popular. But fares -- especially on the Acela -- are pricey."You could get from [Chicago] to any major city in the Midwest within three hours," Harnish says.
But those dreams of fast trains full of passengers zooming through the Midwest might soon be knocked off the rails.
07 October 2010
DOT Online Map Collects Voices of the Recovery Act; Workers Encouraged to Upload Their Own Video Stories 6OKT10
COUNTERING the lies and deception of the gop and tea-baggers, many of whom have tried to take credit for stimulus projects while condemning stimulus funding, this is from Transportation Sec Ray LaHood, a Republican member of the Obama administration.
Posted by on October 06, 2010 at 11:21 AM EDT
Cross posted from the Department of Transportation's blog.I'm really pleased today to present a web experience honoring the men and women who are doing the heavy lifting to renew America's transportation infrastructure. With our interactive map, viewers can see all of the "Voices of the Recovery Act" videos from our YouTube channel on a single screen.
Each of these videos features a worker whose job was saved or created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In their own words, they talk about their Recovery Act projects and how they've built or repaired infrastructure, and how their projects jump-started economic activity in their communities.
On our new web app, each orange cone represents a video by an American worker.Thanks to the Recovery Act, these good people, who would have been unemployed otherwise, are at work today on more than 13,900 needed projects currently underway. And in our video series you can hear them share what that has meant to them in tough economic times for the construction industry.
As Vice President Joe Biden said, "'Voices of the Recovery Act' is one more way in which the American people will be able to see their tax dollars at work helping to turn the economy around and put the country back to work.”
I encourage you to visit our online map, and listen as these workers tell their stories.
And, if you have a story to tell about how a Recovery Act transportation project has helped you find or keep a job, upload your video to YouTube and email us a link at recoveryvids@dot.gov.
Ray LaHood is the Secretary of Transportation
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