The US Department of Transportation (DoT) will hold a summit in September 2009 to discuss ways to combat driver distractions.

The summit will be held in Washington DC and will be convened by senior transportation officials, elected officials, safety advocates, law enforcement representatives and academics.

During the summit the department will announce a list of concrete steps to spread awareness among drivers with dangerous driving practices.

DoT secretary Ray LaHood called the meeting the “crucial first step” in the department’s efforts to end distracted driving.

“We’ve learned from past safety awareness campaigns that it takes a coordinated strategy combining education and enforcement to get results,” LaHood said.

Various surveys in recent times have shown that reading, sending or writing text messages on mobile phones or using other electronic devices while driving considerably increases the risk of accident.