It’s no secret that distracted driving is a problem across the county. The United States Department of Transportation would like to help solve the problem.

Distracted driving is defined as anything that takes your eyes, hands or mind off of the task of driving. This can be as simple as changing the radio station, applying lipstick or talking on a cell phone.  In 2008, 6,000 people were killed in accidents that involved a distracted driver, while another half a million were injured. 

The most frequent cause of distraction is text messaging and hand held cell phone use.  Many states have banned text messaging and nine have banned the use of hand held phones in an attempt to curb the number of accidents that result.  Even Oprah got involved with the cause when she launched her No Phone Zone campaign.

The DOT would like to disable your cell phone once inside your car. They are in the process of researching that technology.  In the mean time they have issued a series of videos on distracted driving called Faces of Distracted Driving.

Do you recall the last video series released by the DOT called Faces of Death?  If they based Faces of Distracted Driving on that old standby it is sure to get the message across about the dangers.

It’s a sure bet that the American People will not like this intrusive technology as we all like to be connected at a moment’s notice, but most of us lack an understanding of the dangers of texting, Facebooking, Twittering or conversing while driving.

What do you think?  Is it a good idea to disable our phones once we step into a car?