NTSB Roundtable to Feature Truckers' Perspectives on Distracted Driving
It will take place April 11 in Houston, largest city of one of the worst states for distracted driving deaths.
The National Transportation Safety Board is hosting a roundtable April 11 on the problem of distracted driving. This one will feature truckers' perspectives on the issue and will take place in Houston, the largest city of one of the worst states for distracted driving deaths. According to NTSB, about 19 percent of the reportable motor vehicle crashes in Texas during 2017 involved driver distraction, inattention, or cellphone use, and these crashes killed 444 people and seriously injured nearly 3,000.
The Houston Food Bank, 535 Portwall Street, is the site of the roundtable, which is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. local time. Members of the trucking community, victims' advocacy groups, the business community, and legislators will discuss the problem of distracted driving and potential countermeasures with a focus on Texas, but applicable nationwide, according to the federal agency, which said the participants will discuss the statistics, trends, and the impact of the 2017 Texas law banning texting while driving.
Opening remarks by NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg are to be followed by Jennifer Smith of StopDistractions.org and Brian Fielkow of Jetco Delivery. Then, the first of four panel discussions will examine statistics on distracted driving crashes in Texas.
The second panel will focus on education and awareness, public policy, and legislation, with the third panel examining corporate policy and regulation and highlighting effective corporate policies in Texas, particularly those seen in the trucking industry. The final panel will discuss takeaways from the roundtable.
The event will be webcast live, and an archive of the webcast will be available on NTSB's website after the event.