The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday reported that nearly 6,000 people were killed and a 500,000 were injured last year in vehicle crashes connected to driver distraction. The Transportation Department was bringing together experts over two days for a “distracted driving summit” to assess the highway hazards caused by drivers talking on cell phones or texting while driving. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was expected to offer recommendations Thursday that could lead to new restrictions on using the devices while driving. LaHood said the administration would “work with Congress” to develop ways of curbing distracted driving. Ultimately, LaHood said, he wanted the meeting to set “the stage for finding ways to eliminate texting while driving.” “You see people texting and driving and using cell phones and driving everywhere you go, even in places where it's outlawed, like Washington, D.C. We feel a very strong obligation to point to incidents where people have been killed or where serious injury has occurred,” LaHood said. Hours before the start of the meeting, Transportation officials said in a research report that 5,870 people were killed and 515,000 were injured last year in crashes where at least one form of driver distraction was reported. Driver distraction was involved in 16 percent of all fatal crashes in 2008. The panel of government officials, safety advocates, researchers and lawmakers hoped to develop a consensus on the roadway hazards and hear warnings from young adults who caused car accidents because they were texting while driving.
