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President Barack Obama has signed an executive order instructing federal workers not to send text messages while driving government vehicles or their own vehicles while on the job.
Thursday's order came Thursday, the same day a new state law took effect in Maryland prohibiting driving while texting. Thus, the state's 112,000 federal employees could face sanctions from both their state and their employer for violating the texting ban.
The announcement by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood came at the conclusion of a two-day conference in Washington on distracted driving. The administration also announced it would seek a ban on driving while texting by interstate truckers and bus operators.
The executive order also forbids federal employees to text while driving their own cars while using government-issued electronic devices. Obama also urged federal contractors and others doing business with the government to adopt similar policies governing their employees.
The White House action follows a recent move in Maryland, where Gov. Martin O'Malley signed a similar order covering state employees in May. Some local jurisdictions in Maryland have also adopted such policies. In Baltimore, Mayor Sheila Dixon issued an order more than a year ago forbidding city employees to send text messages or use cell phones while driving on city business. Neither the Obama nor the O'Malley orders go that far.
Driving while texting, or DWT, is considered one of the most dangerous forms of distracted driving. A recent Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study of truck drivers found the risk of a crash is 23 times greater while texting compared with non-distracted driving. But in the absence of state laws addressing the issue until recent years, the practice became widespread among younger drivers.
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 18 states have now adopted texting bans affecting all drivers.
Thursday's order came Thursday, the same day a new state law took effect in Maryland prohibiting driving while texting. Thus, the state's 112,000 federal employees could face sanctions from both their state and their employer for violating the texting ban.
The announcement by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood came at the conclusion of a two-day conference in Washington on distracted driving. The administration also announced it would seek a ban on driving while texting by interstate truckers and bus operators.
The executive order also forbids federal employees to text while driving their own cars while using government-issued electronic devices. Obama also urged federal contractors and others doing business with the government to adopt similar policies governing their employees.
The White House action follows a recent move in Maryland, where Gov. Martin O'Malley signed a similar order covering state employees in May. Some local jurisdictions in Maryland have also adopted such policies. In Baltimore, Mayor Sheila Dixon issued an order more than a year ago forbidding city employees to send text messages or use cell phones while driving on city business. Neither the Obama nor the O'Malley orders go that far.
Driving while texting, or DWT, is considered one of the most dangerous forms of distracted driving. A recent Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study of truck drivers found the risk of a crash is 23 times greater while texting compared with non-distracted driving. But in the absence of state laws addressing the issue until recent years, the practice became widespread among younger drivers.
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 18 states have now adopted texting bans affecting all drivers.
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