WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to help crack down on distracted driving in Minnesota and across the country. A federal grant program that’s supposed to support states that are taking steps to curb distracted driving last year sat on nearly $16 million in unused funds. The senators’ bill would help ensure that more states are able to access that critical funding and put it toward enforcement and public education to help keep our roadways safe.
“A few distracted seconds is all it takes to ruin a life and lead to fatal consequences not only for drivers but for passengers and pedestrians,” Booker said. “We have an obligation to ensure our roads are safe for all who use them. This bill would empower states to expand policies that promote awareness and discourage drivers from multitasking while they are behind the wheel.”
“I have met with families across Minnesota that have lost loved ones when a driver took his or her eyes off the road, and their heartbreaking stories remind us that stopping distracted driving is a matter of life and death,” Klobuchar said. “Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting, which means that, for a driver traveling at 55 miles per hour, it’s like covering the length of a football field blindfolded. This commonsense bill would expand access to an existing grant program that provides funds for state efforts to boost enforcement laws and educate the public on the dangers of distracted driving.”
“A momentary distraction can cause an accident with fatal consequences in the blink of an eye,” Hoeven said. “Our bill will give states more of the resources they need to educate people and help prevent these kinds of tragic mishaps.”
“Alaska has the harshest penalties for distracted driving in the nation, because we understand the life and death stakes at play when drivers take their eyes off the road,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski. “Driving in Alaska requires 100% attention, 100% of the time – you wouldn’t shut your eyes for five seconds while driving along the Seward Highway or up the Parks Highway; a brief glance at a cell phone leaves you entirely exposed to anything dangerous that could happen within hundreds of feet ahead. This bill will empower the state of Alaska to access existing funds to educate drivers and enforce these life-saving laws.”
The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP–21) created a distracted driving grant program that authorized incentive grants to states that enact and enforce laws prohibiting distracted driving. However, in FY14, only one state received funding through the distracted driving grant program. The Improving Driver Safety Act would adjust the requirements to ensure more states that are taking steps to curb distracted driving can qualify to receive funds.
According to recent reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of all U.S. high school students admitted to texting or emailing while driving, and every day nine people are killed and more than 1,100 people are injured due to accidents involving distracted driving.
