watch any of the previous programs from the cable show or any communicators, you can do to c-span.org >> today on c-span, commerce secretary john bryson discusses the law of the sea. then ray la hood discusses distracted driving. coming of this week, alive inquiry into british phone hacking. starting monday, gordon brown and the chancellor of the exchequer. the relationship between the media and the press -- between the government and the press. >> the be-52, everyone thinks back to vietnam. they think of the history of the

b-52, coldar. there is a different kind of power associated with the b-52 as opposed to other long-range bombers. >> union and confederate, knew each other prior to the civil war, fought against each other, and here they are at age 100 sitting on the porch and talking about the old days. >> the gate to the west is marked 903. they really reflect or reference a moment of the bomb which was at nine a two. -- 902. >> look for the history of literary culture of our next stop, jefferson, missouri. book tv is on c-span to. -- c-span-2.

>> mr. gorbachev, tear down this wall. >> sunday night at 9 eastern and pacific on american history tv, mark the 25th anniversary of president ronald reagan's speech from the brandenburg gate in germany. also, in our series the contenders, 14 key political figures who ran for president and lost, the changed political history. this sunday, 1884 candidate republican james blaine. american history tv this weekend on c-span-3. >> commerce secretary john bryson talked about the role of the coastal economies earlier this week. he said the u.s. should act now in joining the law of the sea treaty since the benefits are "too great to ignore." the treaty defines the rights and responsibilities of nations in international waters. his remarks are about 25 minutes.

[captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> good morning, everybody. welcome to the 12th annual capital hill ocean league. it is wonderful to see many familiar faces. it is equally wonderful to see many unfamiliar faces. capitol hill ocean league has grown over the years. i want to welcome those joining us for the first time. i am the president and ceo of the national marine sanctuary foundation. barack obama hass officially declared june as national ocean month. he foreshadowed a lot of the things we will be discussing of the next few days. in his proclamation, the president asked as to "celebrate our heritage as a seafaring nation." that is what this year is all about, highlighting how we are

fundamentally a maritime nation. from our earliest origins to today, whether we look at our culture, our identity, our economy, our heritage, our demographics, our national identity and our daily lives are shaped by the addition. we are in some, one nation shaped by the sea. panel, we put the question, how will we define the future of america's relationship with the ocean? we will explore this question and answer over the next three days in this building and on a fourth day, friday, at the capitol visitors center. beginning with our opening keynote presentation by secretary john bryson enclosing with their leadership roundtable, and then continuing at the capitol visitor centers. we are proud to boast to capitol hill ocean week. the foundation's mission is to

connect people to the underwater places that define the american notion -- ocean. one of the individuals who does it better than anyone else's mr. fred keeley. he is one of the newest trustees of the foundation of a longtime supporter of the ocean. he hails from california where he serves as treasurer of the county of santa cruz. he pioneered the marine life management act which the associated press, a significant advancement in the ocean policy in 50 years. even from his perch in california, mr. killy commands a national perspective on environmental and ocean issues.

he has received honors that are usually awarded posthumously, but as you can see, he is here in the front row. dr. sylvia earle will be with us on thursday. the former secretary of the interior and the current administrator of noaa will be part of that series. it is my great honor to recognize a long time public servant and lifelong and lover of the ocean, the honorable fred keeley. clanks good morning. thank you very much for all of you being here -- >> good morning. thank you very much for all of you being here today. it is my honor this morning to introduce to the 37th commerce secretary of the united states. john bryson has been very, very interesting background that goes th wide and deep.

after he graduated from yale law school, he was one of the folks who put together the national resources defense council and took a deep, abiding and lifelong interest in the preservation of our natural resources throughout the country. he also, in california, was the chair of the state water resources control board. that is worth thinking about for a second because california, as mark twain once said, "whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over." when you are the chair of the state water resources control board and you understand that the water is from the north, the agriculture is in the middle and the people are in the south, there is plenty to fight over. when you are the chair, the idea is to see if you can keep the fighting to a minimum action make progress on the idea of water in california.

john did that. he went on to become president and ceo of edison international , one of the world's largest and, in my view most progressive energy companies. he is a talented, intelligent and thoughtful secretary of commerce. he is the person the president has entrusted with the rather sizable mission, for this it ministration, to be able to 24/7 create jobs, extend the reach of commerce throughout the world and the united states of america, domestically and abroad. it is my pleasure to introduce the 37 secretary of commerce, the honorable john bryson. [applause]

>> fred knocked me out with that. that is very generous. thank you very much. fred and i, when he was in the assembly of the california legislature and we had a tough stretch in california, we worked very, very hard to sort things out. i will not go into the details, but it was an amazingly challenging time. jason, i want to say that you're having undertaken this and senate for 13 years is a real service to -- done it for 13 years is a real service to all of us. thank you all for being here. as fred said, it is an honor to

greet you on behalf of president obama and the entire administration: welcome to oceans week. it's great to see such a diverse community here todayfrom researchers, to businesses, to congressional staff, to local, regional and nonprofit groups. i want to thank the national marine sanctuary foundation for putting together a great week, as well as for their input into the national ocean policy which will soon enter its implementation phase. everyone should stay tuned for more on that in the months ahead. obviously, this is a crucial moment for america's economy. as we emerge from the biggest recession since the great depression, our businesses have added over 4.3 million jobs over the past 27 months. that's good news, but we still

have much more work to do. and today, i'd like to speak about how our oceans play a key role in our economic recovery. the fact is, america's waters have always been a strong economic engine. some call it the "blue economy." sir walter raleighone of america's early explorerssaid this: "for whosoever commands the sea, commands the trade. whosoever commands the trade of the world, commands the riches of the world and, consequently, the world itself."

i'm sure that raleigh couldn't have fathomed the impact of planes or railroads, much less e-commerce. but the fact remains: even centuries after he spoke those memorable words, there remains a vital and powerful link between america's oceans, rivers, lakes and coastsand america's economy. consider this: more than half of americans live in coastal watershed counties, even though this area makes up only 17 percent of u.s. land area. and those counties support about 66 million jobs.

so now more than ever, we need to ensure that the blue economy is strong and growing. this morning, i'll touch on three ways that we can do that. first, we need to show off america's waters. i grew up in portland, oregon. as a boy, i remember going with my father and my uncle to the columbia river. while they would go into the deep water to catch salmon, i would spend much of the day trying to fix the line on my little fishing pole. then, while in high school, i worked as a camp counselor on the shores of puget sound. i took the campers on three- and four-day canoe trips. i'm sure that many of you have personal connections like that

to our waters. and you cherish those memories that you made with friends and family. today, it's time that we share those experiences with the rest of the world. that's what noaa and the national marine sanctuary foundation are working towards every day. together, they support 14 marine-protected areas across the united states. these sanctuaries offer snorkeling, whale watching, fishing and much more. altogether, noaa estimates that these communities and coastal businesses drive about $4 billion into the economy. and nationwide, we see major

impacts on our economy from things like recreational fishing. when you add up the bait shops, boat sales, and the other economic drivers in fishing communities -- it comes to more than $73 billion, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs. but here's the problem: our oceans, coasts and great lakes are sometimes overlooked when both americans and international travelers plan their vacations. that's part of the reason why secretary salazar and i are heading up the administration's new national travel and tourism strategy, which was just released last month. we believe that showing off our oceans, rivers, lakes and coasts isn't just a nice thing

to do. the fact is, travel and tourism is america's number one services export. last year, we had an all-time record of 62 million international travelers to the u.s. they supported 7.6 million good american jobs. we need to build on that momentum. that's why our new plan sets a goal of 100 million visitors each year by 2021. the only way we are going to meet that goal is if everyone works together. many federal agencies are involved in this effort. for example, the state department is working to issue more tourist visas from countries that have a growing middle class.

in addition, our private-sector partners on the u.s. travel and tourism advisory board are working to ensure a great experience for tourists. for example, they want to make it easier for them to get through our airports and arrive at their final destination. today, we need your help. let's get the word out about the wonderful opportunities to discover and explore america's vast waters. i encourage you to check out the new travel and tourism strategy, and thank you in advance for helping reach its important goals. the second way we can strengthen the blue economy is to maximize the potential of our oceans and waterways.

i believe that we can ensure that our oceans are healthy, while also leveraging their ability to drive our economy. specifically, they can help increase u.s. exports. even with air cargo and high- speed trains, it's important to remember that shipping remains a cornerstone of our export infrastructure. in fact, nearly 99% of our foreign goods trade -- as measured by volume -- is transported by ship. in 2011, over half a trillion dollars in u.s. goods were exported around the world through shipping. i think sir walter raleigh would be smiling at that. so it's no surprise that our waterways are a key part of president obama's national

export initiative. it seeks to double u.s. exports by 2015. we are making historic progress toward meeting this ambitious goal. last year we hit an all-time record of $2.1 trillion in exports. and our folks at places like noaa are working harder than ever to build on that. for example, noaa's navigational services division uses high-tech positioning tools --combined with the latest weather data -- to ensure that our exports can move safely and efficiently. the technology and information we provide to the private sector is particularly important at our nation's ports. for example, if a shipper knows

that a port has just one additional inch of water depth, they can load more goods onto the boat. with that one inch, you can put 99 more chevy volts onto a car carrier -- or enough wheat to make over 400,000 loaves of bread. and my commitment is that we will continue to do everything possible to empower our exporters who use the sea to send out good, quality, made- in-america products. but today, we must do even more -- and i'll just give one important and timely example. the senate is now taking a hard look at having the u.s. join the law of the sea convention. this has the strong support of groups ranging from our military to the world wildlife fund to the american petroleum

institute to the u.s. chamber of commerce. the economic benefits of this treaty are clear. first, it will ensure that we can continue to protect and maintain our shipping routes. but it's more than that. it will give our energy companies the certainty they need to make crucial investments that create jobs. it will help our telecommunications companies as they build and maintain undersea cables, and it will secure our access to rare earth minerals which we need to make computers and cell phones. importantly, it will also help us urge other countries to support sustainability to

protect their marine habitats and species and to promote healthy oceans. already, over 160 countries have signed onto this treaty. republicans and democrats alike have voiced their support for many years -- everyone from presidents clinton and bush, to secretary of defense leon panetta, to james watkins, the former chief of u.s. naval operations, secretary of energy, and chair of the commission on oceans policy. so, it's clear that no country has more to gain from this treaty than the united states. important meetings are already underway to draw up the rules that are flowing from the convention. the u.s. has an empty seat waiting for us at the table. we need to fill it.

after all, america has never been content to sit back and let others make decisions that could affect our security, our economy, or our environment. the benefits of this treaty are too great to ignoreespecially at this crucial moment in our recovery. we should act now. finally, it's commencement season. so i think it's appropriate to close by saying that we need to inspire the next generation to understand, explore and protect our waters in the decades that lie ahead. about a mile from here, in d.c.'s crime museum, noaa just opened a new exhibit on the 40th anniversary of the marine mammal protection act. as you know, this law helps protect marine life and our marine ecosystems. as we speak, there might be a

young person wandering around at that museum, looking at the pictures, and thinkingfor the first time"this is what i want to do. this is my world." i bet that many of you here today had that same "aha" moment at some point early on. and today, you probably still have moments that spark your interest and imagination. for example, i'm sure that many of you know that noaa's telepresence technology allows us to send seafloor images to researchers and scientists around the world. as you may have seen on the news a few weeks ago, this helped us uncover an incredible shipwreck deep in the gulf of mexico. looking forward, we're going to do even more to spark the interest of young people. for example, starting this weekend, we're teaming up with the national marine sanctuary

foundation and the sportfishing conservancy, to launch what's called the sanctuary classic. through competitions and scholarships, the sanctuary classic will foster excitement among our youth about conservation and fishing. so what's clear is this: we need to find young people who share our curiosity and interest in america's waters. maybe they want to be an oceanographer or researcher who works in this field. maybe they want to go into public service at a place like noaa. or perhaps they simply want to start a business that helps people understand and enjoy our waterwayslike the business i worked for that summer, taking campers on canoe trips on puget sound. we need to identify these young people. we need to nurture them and mentor them.

and ultimately, we need to make sure they can make a difference, just like all of you are making today in your daily work. i will leave you with a quotation from one of my favorite presidents. i have a portrait of him behind my desk at the commerce department. president kennedy once said, "knowledge of the oceans is more than a matter of curiosity. our very survival may hinge upon it." i think that everyone here would agree. our oceans and waterways are critical to our prosperity, to our quality of life, and to the future of our nation. so, let's show them off. let's maximize their potential. and let's inspire the next generation to follow in our footsteps. thank you, and have a great week.

[applause] >> coming up this wednesday, the ceo of jpmorgan testifies before congress about the company's recent two billion dollar trading loss. they will also speak about the wall street reform law. live coverage begins at 10:00 a.m. eastern on c-span and c- span radio. then the house committee will hold hearings on jpmorgan and their trading loss on tuesday. we will bring you that live on c-span-3 and c-span radio. coming up sunday on "washington journal," a roundtable discussion on governor walker's

victory in the wisconsin recall election. guests will discuss what it could mean for other elections and the impact of the citizens united case on the effort. a study by the pew research center found that america's values and what binds and divide our country are changing. we will discuss the when and why is of the change. all of that along with your calls and e mails live at 7:00 a.m. eastern here on c-span. coming of tomorrow on newsmaker, pat roberts discusses the $969 billion farm bill being debated in the senate. the bill would replace the long time program of subsidies to farmers with crop insurance and a program that would protect farmers if their income from crops falls too low.

>> they are often referred to as the conscious of the congress. -- conscience of the congress. after having worked there almost two years, i cannot think of a better name. >> executive director and counsel to the congressional black caucus. >> is designed to ensure that members of the congress who are african american can come together on issues plaguing the community at large, issues that may be plaguing their districts of the confined commonalities. the come together to find legislative solutions, a legislative proposal to advance the cause of people who do not have a voice. >> more on sunday at 8 eastern on c-span. >> transportation secretary ray lahood announced a new national initiative this week called a blueprint to ending distracted driving. it challenges states with out

distracted driving laws to act. it also introduces a pilot program that tests the effectiveness of campaigns against distractive driving. secretary led said he would be in favor of a federal ban on driving with sell funds. -- cell phones. >> good morning, everyone. thank you for joining us today for a very important announcement. for the past three years, i have been very pleased to work with secretary of ahead to bring attention to a very serious roadway issue -- secretary ray la hood to bring attention to a very serious roadway issue that continues to claim thousands of lives every year, distracted driving. since 2001, no one in america has worked harder on the issue. please join me now in welcoming secretary ray la hood. [applause] >> get morning.

welcome to the department of transportation. thank you, ron, for all of your good work on some any safety issues. when we got involved in distracted driving three years ago, i do not even know if the term was in the dictionary. but i can tell you this. it was not too much concern for people at the time and not many people were talking about it. only 18 states had anti-texting loss and another seven states had a complete ban on use of hand-held devices. through our efforts, i think we have stepped up the opportunity now for people to really understand what distracted driving is. i am very proud of the fact that we have gone from 18 states to 39 states with texting bands. 10 have banned all hand-held phones. we are proud of the role we have

played in putting these laws on the books, and we know we have much more work to do. we always have more work to do. one out of every 10 highway fatalities is caused by a distracted driving. at this very moment, there are 660,000 drivers talking on their phone well behind the wheel on our nation's roadways. any of you that drove over here probably saw somebody next to you that was on a phone or texting and driving. 40% of american teenagers admit to riding in a car while a driver use the cell phone in a way that puts people in danger. the reason that i call distracted driving an epidemic -- i left my cellphone upstairs in my office -- but just about every american has a blackberry or a cell phones. the reason i use the word

epidemic is because we think we can use them anytime, anyplace, anywhere, including behind the wheel of the car and that is where it is not safe. americans have gotten into very dangerous behavior with their cell phones and their texting devices to think they can use them behind the wheel of a car and drive safely. you cannot do it. in the past three years, we have made great progress on raising awareness of the dangers of texting and driving. the simple fact is, people continue to be killed and injured despite the fact that these deaths are 100% preventable. i have met with dozens of families whose lives changed in an instant because someone was driving distracted. many of them have shared their stories to help prevent other losses, and their stories have inspired others to take action. do not take it from me. go on distraction.gov and look

at the videos. you will hear one of the heartbreaking stories today, but look at the videos. they tell the story better than i ever could. we ought proud today to unveil our blue print for ending -- we are proud today to unveil our blueprint for ending distracted driving. it goes beyond awareness and asking drivers to take personal responsibility and take stock of our biggest remaining goals. it includes specific steps all stakeholders can take. first, we need to pass and enforce tough laws against distracted driving. it's a has a proven formula for changing -- ntsa has a proven formula for changing behavior. we know that the reason the first thing we do in a car is

buckle up is because of good laws and good enforcement. that was not true 20 years ago. but because of the program "click it or ticket" 84% of us buckle up today. think of the laws that have been saved. -- lives that have been saved. we also have worked very hard on getting drunk drivers off the road. again, good laws, could enforcement, the judge is taking it seriously, police taking it seriously, 0.08, all of these things have combined to getting drunk drivers off the road. it worked for two distracted driving pilot projects we had in hartford and syracuse last year. we gave each of the community's two hundred thousand dollars each. they matched it with $100,000.

they put police on street corners. when they saw people driving with a cell phone up to their ear or texting and driving, they pulled them over and wrote a ticket. distracted driving went down. where people do not want to take personal responsibility, we need good laws, could enforcement, and then we know we can begin to drive down distracted driving. we are announcing today that two states will receive federal support to crack down on distracted driving. the department of transportation is awarding 2.0 $4 million to expand the program "phone in one hand, a ticket in the other," a pilot project in california and delaware. we will talk about a grant we will be giving to the state of delaware, similar to what we did in hartford and in syracuse.

david strickland is in sacramento, california today announcing with law enforcement and other officials a grant for california. these funds will go toward law enforcement, media, and good scientific evaluation. secondly, we need to teach our kids, who are the most vulnerable drivers, that texting and driving do not mix. we just completed a model driver curriculum with the american driver and traffic safety education association that includes updated information on avoiding distracted driving. it is now available to drivers ed teachers nationwide. we're using social media, including our icon design contest. third, we know we need to address the technology itself. earlier this year we announced a

proposal to create a distraction guidelines for automakers. these guidelines focus on devices built into the cars and trucks when they come off line. some of you know that i have met with every car executive and talked to them about what they can do to help us with technology they are putting in cars that will become a distraction for drivers. but it cannot and fair. we are looking at guidelines for phones and other devices -- it cannot and there. we're looking at guidelines for phones and other devices that people bring into cars. personal responsibility for putting this cellphone down is a good first debt and that is what we are asking people -- first step and that is what we're asking people to do. put the phone in the glove compartment, buckle up and drive

safely. whether you are a safety advocate, a parent or a team, you can find more information on how to get involved a distraction.gov. you can also watch the videos that i mentioned. we are proud of what we have done on this issue. the blueprint for ending distracted driving build on what we know and takes us where we need to go. it will save lives. of course, we cannot do it alone. we need congress to do their part to end distracted driving. the bipartisan bill that passed the senate provided $39 million for states to stop texting while driving. this will help us reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities. congress must act now to deliver a robust transportation bill that will help us save lives. now i would like to introduce a very special guest. the people most impacted by distracted driving have played a valuable role in raising

awareness of the dangers involved. today we have a distracted driving survivor, allyson holder, who is going to tell us how distracted driving changed her life in an instant, and we are grateful to her for being here. [applause] >> i have been asked today to speak about how my life has changed since being hit by a distracted driver three years ago when it was not illegal in d.c. it happened while i was sitting at a red light on my way to work. a woman hit me so hard, going so quickly, that i sustained a dramatic -- traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, neck, red and hit injuries, and emotional trauma. because she chose to send a text message that morning, my life

was forever changed and i feel the pain of that every single day of my life. than a year recovering in physical therapy and brain therapy. if anyone had expressed how important it was for them to not be distracted driver, my son would not have had to go through his first few years of high school virtually without his mother. if this woman had made a pledge to herself that she would not use her phone while driving, i would still have the short-term memory to pursue the ph.d. in marine biology that i wanted to, and i would not have to relearn everything that comes into my life. i have to use my ipad today to speak to you so i can remember what i want to say. if one person had spoken out, i would not suffer every single day from this pain and have a

constant reminder that my life was interrupted by a cell phone. everyday i think about what the message was that she was sending. i cannot imagine that it was so important that she would have to risk my life and my family's livelihood and happiness. it is important that we tell everyone in our lives not to use phones while driving. we must speak up and not feel embarrassed about it. i am thrilled with the blueprint that has been set out today and i hope everyone will go to distraction.gov for more information. thank you. [applause] >> we now from our experience in

hartford and syracuse that in order to really have an impact we need to change people's behavior. one way to do that is to write them a ticket. i think the tickets in hartford and syracuse were maybe $100, but it could have been $75, but we know from the studies that we did in both of those communities that we did drive down distracted driving. is there any difference between what we are doing now? >> one important thing is that we are actually going out into very different communities. we are not just going into urban environments. we are going into urban, suburban and rural environments. we are going to see how effective it can be using different strategies in different localities. this really is the second step. we always planned to do this. that was in our research plan that after the pilot cities we

would branch out to states and see how well it would translate in different communities. [inaudible] >> the question as, apparently yesterday verizon announce some kind of opportunity with autumn makers for more technology. -- automakers for more technology. early on, i met with a group that represents most of the technology companies. i believe from my conversations with my former colleague said his organization is committed to being helpful on distracted driving.

i also believe from my conversations with ceos of of ies, they are committed to safety. i have ridden in cars where they have put all this safety technology in that hopefully prevent accidents, whether it lets them know there is a card too close behind, too close in front, too close by the side, all of that is very good, and we applaud the auto companies for doing that. but we want to make sure they understand, and that is why we put that the voluntary guidelines that we did, that the ability to download facebook, the ability to access intimation while you are driving a car is not exactly a safe way to drive -- access information while you are driving a car is not exactly a safe way to drive. nobody would agree with that. there have to be ways for car

companies to address these issues and i believe they are committed to doing that. anybody else? yes. [inaudible] >> i mean, we are not considering a rule. we are looking at things that have worked. we think hartford and syracuse worked. we think good laws work. we think good enforcement works. we have proven that it works when it comes to "click it or ticket," and we have proven that it works when getting drunk drivers off the road. certainly, we have proven it with what we have done in hartford and syracuse. as ron said, these grants we are making now go to different areas than places like hartford and

syracuse. there are a number of communities in california that will receive grants. so, the one thing i think we want is we would like to have all 50 states pass laws. that would send a good message. we would like for congress to consider passing a law. so, we are going to continue to work with our friends in the states. we have just applauded governor k for signing what we believe is a good bill in ohio, making them the 39th state. it took 20 years to get 84% of us to buckle up. we have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go. nobody, nobody was talking about distracted driving before we started the discussion three and a half years ago, and only 18

states have laws. we feel like we have made progress, but we still have more to do, i e the blueprint. let me go back here to date and then don't. dave and then joan. >> are you still of a position that you would endorse a ban on all hands free calls? >> i am glad ntsb has taken this on. the more the merrier, we are happy they are involved. our efforts are in what we are announcing today. try to get off the states. but these grants up. continue the drumbeat about the dangers of distracted driving. anybody else who wants to get on the bandwagon, and china. the sign that. do your thing -- join up.

sign up. do your thing. >> if you had more time, what specifically would you like congress to do? aw?there a specific lon >> i do not have a bill to hand to congress. i will leave it up to them. >> may be good about what it is you think they should do -- maybe you could talk about what it is you think they should do. >> i would be for a national ban. me personally, i am for eliminating distracted driving. the way you do that is by taking personal responsibility and putting your phone in the glove compartment so you cannot use it. i will leave it up to congress to decide what they want to do.

yes. [inaudible] >> what we have suggested are some pretty good guidelines. we have not mandated them. they are voluntary. look, we know this. when people are not distracted, lives will be saved. when people are distracted, there are accidents. allyson is an example. if someone had not been distracted, they would not have plowed into the back of her car. this is a story that -- let me put my glasses on selling get it right. a massachusetts teenager was sentenced on wednesday to spend a year in jail. there are consequences. look, there is no dispute. there is no debate about

whether distracted driving causes injury in takes people's lives. we know that it does. what we have said to the car manufacturers, i have said to each one of the ceos personally. i have met with every one of them. in instances where they have taken the initiative to do something about distracted driving away that subaru does with their commercial that they run where the father is appearing in the passenger side of the car talking to this little girl who morphs into a teenager and says by the way, do not call me on your cell phone while you're driving. i called the ceo and congratulated him. that is what car manufacturers need to be thinking about. how do we save lives and injuries? they have thought a lot about it by putting technology in congress that prevent accidents. i want them to -- in cars that

prevent accidents. i want them to think about how they can alleviate distracted driving. oh, yeah, we have phone questions. i forgot. who is on the phone? >> i am with the detroit free press. >> do not be asking about m1. that is separate. go ahead. >> do you want an extension of the pilot project and grants across the country? >> look, we know that hartford in syracuse worked. we are grateful for the resources that congress has put in the bill. we believe the grants we're making today will make a difference and will continue our opportunity to show that

distracted driving is dangerous, that if you have good law enforcement you can drive down distracted driving. but we wanted to see if we could prove that in some other areas of the country. we will keep working with congress for resources. we think we're going to make a difference here. >> to you -- do you think voice command is the answer on the auto side? >> i'm going to lebron talk about voice activated, bluetooth -- going to let ron talk about voice activated, bluetooth and other technology. >> the data is not very strong on handsfree operations. we're conducting additional work. we're focusing on what we know

are really dangerous, which are texting and hand-held. texting is 20 times more dangerous than normal driving. >> thank you. >> joan. [inaudible] >> we think voluntary is a better way to go for now. we want to give them an opportunity to step up and take personal responsibility for helping save lives. dave, did you have another question? >> on handsfree research, do you think it will be done by october or november? do you think he will have a recommendation this year? >> ron believes the analysis will be done probably closer to

the end of the air. >> do you think you will be able to make a decision? >> i think by the end of the year, we will be able to look at the study, i share the information with you and say something. i do not know what we will say. >> why you say that the data is not strong on handsfree? >> because we are doing the studies. we are doing studies. here is where we get credibility. where ntsa its credibility and why they are so good is because they do studies. they do not talk of their head, subjectively, from their heart, and they persuaded me to do that. so now i do not talk from my heart. i do not talk from the top of my head. we do it based on studies. one of the first things ron told

me is the way we have credibility is when we have good studies. we know the "click it or ticket" has worked because 84% of people buckle up. we know what has helped get drunk drivers off the road. and we are going to try to find out if there is some thing to the idea that handsfree is different than hand-held. we do not know that yet. that is why we're doing the studies. [inaudible] >> ron can speak for himself.

we know more research needs to be done. research always is important here. we do not know for sure. if we did, we would be talking about it. >> we really think that data, the most reliable data to date our natural behavior studies. the studies to refer to or not based on naturalistic driving. >> anybody else? [inaudible] >> angela, i was talking about my own personal feelings about this. i feel very strongly about this. i have no idea.

i had not been sitting around thinking about that. what i had been sitting around thinking about is a blueprint to get rid of distracted driving. we know what works. that is why we are giving out these grants today. because that is what works. in order for me to start talking about some sort of national law and the specifics of that, i need to make sure i am on good solid ground with good statistics, good studies and all of that sort of stuff. i am a former lawmaker. i know that laws can make a difference. i also know this, in states that have passed distracted driving laws, they work. i.e. this sentence that was just handed down for someone who was just involved in an accident or somebody was killed. that law worked. hopefully that sends a message.

we know the laws work and we know good enforcement works. that is why a 84% of us are buckling up. all right? how about any of you guys in the back there. want to ask anything? how about c-span? one for c-span. you cannot ask questions, right? he is retired so now we of change the rules. thank you all very much. [applause] [applause]