Passenger Bus, Rail and Motorcoach Industry News

Offering includes a sponsorship program, which will provide partners with marketing rights and benefits, such as signage and advertising in commuter rail stations, railcars and ferry facilities; corporate presence on commuter rail system maps and schedules; control of a Wi-Fi landing page; links on the MBTA website; and intellectual property rights.

The decision, which was made during a Commission meeting last Thursday, also requires the installation of cameras to enforce the rule.

Joined by family members of distracted driving victims, including FocusDriven President Jennifer Smith, and representatives from Safeway and the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, Secretary LaHood unveiled a number of new public education initiatives and discussed the important leadership role businesses play in promoting safe driving behavior.

The clash stems from two recent incidents, which ended up in arbitration following the disciplining of drivers.

Building on the success of last year's summit, Secretary LaHood will convene leading transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement, industry representatives, researchers and victims affected by distraction-related crashes to address challenges and identify opportunities for national anti-distracted driving efforts.

At this year's event, experts from around the country will explore accomplishments since the first summit, as well as the many challenges that lie ahead. Key topics will include research, technology, policy, public outreach and best practices in enforcement.

Study found that texting increased the risk of a safety-critical driving event for truck drivers by 23.2 times. Another study conducted in 2006 found that drivers using cell phones failed to stop at stop signs 10 times more often than drivers not using cell phones.

Transit planning information is also accessible by cellular phones, such as iPhone, Blackberry, WindowsMobile, S60, and other Java enabled phones.

A number of deadly accidents involving text messaging behind the wheel have called attention to the dangerous problem of distracted driving.