U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood held a summit on distracted driving in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, September 30, and Thursday, October 1. The summit was available live by webcast, and members of the public had the opportunity to submit questions online. View the webcast archives at http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/rita/090830/.

The summit was intended to determine ways to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities associated with distracted driving attributable to text messaging and other current and planned technologies intended for in-vehicle use, such as automotive navigational systems.

Participants included senior transportation officials, elected officials, safety advocates, law enforcement representatives, private sector representatives, and academics. The second day of the summit included a panel of state and local officials.

The Department of Transportation has a Web site to provide information on the summit at www.rita.dot.gov/distracted_driving_summit/.