No Texting While Driving – What’s Taking So Long?

In January we announced that the DOT finally called for an all-out ban of texting by drivers of commercial vehicles including tractor trailers, motor coaches and buses. Any driver found guilty of this act may be fined nearly $3,000. Text messaging was banned by drivers in 19 states, up to 30 in August.

Study after study clearly reveals the inherent risks of texting while driving. One study shows it raises the probability of a crash eightfold, while another reports it increases a truck driver's chance of being in a crash by a factor of 24. It’s been called the "perfect storm" by researchers because drivers let go of the steering wheel simultaneously taking both their eyes and minds off the road.

Recently, it was revealed by his girlfriend that the death of celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Frank Ryan was due to tweeting – he was posting an image of his dog on the top of a sand dune. Other studies have found adults get just as distracted as teens. So the message spans same all ages: Wait until you’re safely off the road.

According to David Strayer, Ph.D., the director of the University of Utah’s Applied Cognition Lab, “You don’t instantly crash on the road while talking on the cell phone. And you don’t instantly crash when you’re drunk, either … In the long run, if you do it enough, you’re going to put yourself at risk.”

Distracted driving is as lethal as drunk driving, and research shows the quality of your conversation also decreases while you drive – so do yourself a favor - wait until later.

Here’s a look at January to August changes:

Handheld Cell Phone Bans for All Drivers:
January 2010 - 6 states - California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington, (the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from talking on handheld cell phones while driving.)
August 2010 – add 2 states – add Delaware and Maryland
TOTAL – 8 states

All Cell Phone Bans:
January 2010 - No state completely bans all types of cell phone use (handheld and hands-free) for all drivers, but many prohibit cell phone use by certain segments of the population.
August 2010 - No state completely bans all types of cell phone use
TOTAL – NONE

Novice Drivers:
January 2010 - 21 states and the District of Columbia ban all cell use by novice drivers.
August 2010 – add 7 states
TOTAL – 28 states

School Bus Drivers:
January 2010 - 17 states and the District of Columbia, school bus drivers are prohibited from all cell phone use when passengers are present.
August 2010 – add 1 state
TOTAL – 18 states

Text Messaging:
January 2010 - 19 states, the District of Columbia and Guam now ban text messaging for all drivers. Fifteen states, D.C., and Guam have primary enforcement. In the other four states, all driver texting bans are secondarily enforced. Some states have limited texting bans.
August 2010 – add 11 states, D.C. and Guam ban text messaging for all drivers. 11 of these laws were enacted in 2010. 26 states, D.C., and Guam have primary enforcement. In the other four, texting bans are secondary.
TOTAL – 30 states

For more information, please visit:

National Safety Council March 2010 white paper, “Understanding the Distracted Brain: Why Driving While Using Hands-Free Cell Phones is Risky Behavior.”

Distraction.gov

Governors Higway Safety Association

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EPA's Lead Rule Challenged

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is being sued for removing the "opt-out" provision from its Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Rule (LRRP) by the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) and a host of housing national MSCA307VA                                        housing associations.

This coalition maintains the EPA amended the LRRP rule without any new scientific data and before the regulation was even put into place on April 22.

The EPA removed the "opt-out" rule on July 6, 2010, resulting in nearly 80 million homes falling under the LRRP requirements. This provision, which became effective April 22, 2010, would allow contractors to bypass certian on-site criteria including prep work, clean-up and recordkeeping requirements in pre-1978 homes if the homeowner verified that no children under six or pregnant women were present in the home. This would impede many small projects by small contractors like window, door and insulation installation.

"The removal of the opt-out provision, which was done without any substantial research or data to support such a move, will result in millions of homeowners paying for additional measures that they may not need and discourage them from making necessary improvements," said NLBMDA chair Dan Fesler, CEO of St. Paul, Minn.-based Lamperts. "Worse, it may encourage homeowners to seek out uncertified contractors and put certified LRRP contractors at a competitive disadvantage."

The EPA's lead rule became effective April 22, but enforcement was delayed until Oct. 1 see earlier post entitled Lead Rule Delayed.

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EPA "Lead Rule" Delayed

A memorandum issued by Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator at the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Office of Prevention, Pesticides & Toxic Substances (OPPTS) acknowledged a time extension for renovation and painting companies and their employees for additional training and certification under the new Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (LRRP) Rule.

The EPA requires that companies performing renovation, repair, and painting projects that disturb lead-based paint in pre-1978 homes, child care facilities and schools obtain certification by the EPA and that they use certified renovators (employees) trained by EPA-approved educators to follow lead-safe work practices. It is commonly believed that many learning and behavioral disorders stem from associated lead-based paint hazards.

Individuals can become certified renovators by taking an eight-hour training course from an EPA-approved training provider. Classes have begun and over 300,000 renovators have been certified, but economic hardship, regional disaster declarations and the actual EPA enforcement of the rule is already under distress.

The LRRP rule was enacted on April 22, 2010, but the EPA announced it was delaying enforcement, acknowledging concerns raised by the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) and other industrial supporters and policy makers.

The specific delays include:

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  Until Oct. 1, 2010, the EPA will not take enforcement action for violations of the RRP Rule's firm certification requirement.
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  For violations of the RRP Rule's renovation worker certification requirement, the EPA will not enforce against individual renovation workers if the person has applied to enroll in, or has enrolled in, by no later than Sept. 30, 2010, a certified renovator class to train contractors in practices necessary for compliance with the final rules. Renovators must complete the training by Dec. 31, 2010.

"Despite the progress that has been made, the numbers of certified trainers, firms, and renovators is still too limited, and that when coupled with the current lack of accurate test kits and public awareness, EPA is not fully prepared to effectively implement and administer the program under the current timeline established by the final rule," NLBMDA president Michael O'Brien wrote in his letter to EPA administrator Lisa Jackson regarding the Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting Program (LRRP) rule. The letter endorsed a petition by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) to delay the April 22 implementation date.

Though enforcement has been delayed, the NLBMDA said it continues to have numerous concerns with the RRP Rule, including the removal of the opt-out provision and the lack of reliable test kits. In addition, new proposals from the EPA on clearance testing and an expansion of the rule to commercial construction pose additional challenges for the industry, which has still yet to recover from the recession.
Visit Accuform Signs for updates regarding facility identification and all of your ANSI safety sign and OSHA safety sign needs.

Lead Safe Practices article

Read the memorandum here

EPA page for Lead in Paint, Dust, and Soil

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Wisconsin No Smoking Sign - Need by July 5th, 2010

Effective July 5th, 2010, Wisconsin will become the 26th state to pass "No Smoking Wisconsin" legislation (Wisconsin Act 12) in all enclosed places, public places, places or employment or areas with a "substantial wall" (the recently passed Kansas law will ensue on July 1st). This list includes all restaurants and taverns, retail establishments, sporting arenas and county and state buildings, just to name a few. (for more information see Wisconsin no smoking laws and smoke-free Wisconsin).

Smoking is still permitted in homes, certain residential rooms in assisted living facilities which are designated as smoking and at tobacco retailers who generate more than 75% revenue from the sale of tobacco not including cigarettes, and tobacco bars which generate 15% or more revenue from the sale of cigars or pipe tobacco (vending machines are not included). Those retailers and bars must have been in existence since June 3rd, 2009, and the smoking of cigarettes is prohibited.

Smoking is defined as smoking a cigar, a cigarette, a pipe or other lighted smoking equipment (note: E‐cigarettes are not included). A fine of $100 to $250 may be enforced by the Department of Justice for violators of this law. There is also a Person in Charge provision that says they must provide adequate signage, designate a reasonable area away from entrances that persons can smoke, cannot provide matches or ashtrays and must ask persons smoking illegally, to stop.

Wisconsin is Better Smoke-Free is sponsoring a video contest with a top prize of a $500 gift certificate sponsored by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association. Second place will get $300 and third place $200. Videos should be no more than 1:30 in length and must be submitted by 5:00 PM on June 25, 2010 - so hurry, and get your video entered!

Below is a list of other states that have particular no smoking sign options/regulations (please check to see whether the individual state requires the use of these signs): Arizona No Smoking, California No Smoking, Illinois No Smoking, Iowa No Smoking, Maryland No Smoking, Michigan No Smoking, Minnesota No Smoking, New Jersey No Smoking, Ohio No Smoking, Oregon No Smoking, Washington No Smoking.

Accuform Signs carries a full line of stock no smoking signs and smoking control signs, plus, you can always go to our Online Design Center and build your own no smoking sign. Our focus is keeping you compliant by law, and safe in general!

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