Focusing on distracted driving

The issue of distracted driving will take center stage this week when National Organizations for Youth Safety convenes a teen distracted driving summit just outside of Washington.

The summit, which features workshops and panels with national journalists, including from The Hill, will take place Oct. 16-17 in Crystal City, Va.

The goal of the summit is to increase awareness about distractions while driving caused by things like cellphones and texting, which the group says has caused 20 percent of all car accidents since 2009.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood raised the issue last week in a speech at the National Press Club in Washington.

"You can't drive safely when you have one of these up to your ear," he said, holding up his BlackBerry at the podium.

LaHood said the number of states that had implemented laws against distracted driving laws increased from between eight and 11 when he became he took over the Transportation Department under President Obama in 2009 to about 36 currently. 

Elsewhere this week, the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will take a look at pipeline safety in the wake of the 2010 explosion in San Bruno, Calif. 

The accident prompted an investigation from the National Transportation Safety Board, which found that both utility company Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and lax state and federal regulations were at fault for the accident, which killed eight people and injured almost 40 others. 

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