NWRA Files FOIA Request with NHTSA Regarding the Dangers of Mobile Phones on Our Roads
Arlington, VA – The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) seeking all correspondence between the agency and Apple, Samsung, Google, Microsoft and any other mobile phone manufacturers or operating system software providers regarding their mobile phone products as well as any ancillary documents and records pertaining to the dangers that these devices present to waste and recycling workers from distracted drivers.
Additionally, NWRA is seeking all correspondence between NHTSA and other federal agencies on the topic of the hazards that mobile phones create on our nation’s roads. The FOIA covers the period starting June 29, 2007, when the first iPhone went on sale, through September 13.
“We believe mobile phones are an inherently addictive consumer product that causes distracted drivers to injure and kill our waste and recycling workers as they go about their jobs,” said NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith. “What we call a mobile phone today has become a misnomer as its use as a telephone is only a fraction of what consumers use it for now.
“We are seeking all communications between NHTSA and Big Tech. We are also asking NHTSA to produce any interagency correspondence between them and other federal entities on the subject.”
NWRA has also filed a FOIA request with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and sent a letter to the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security regarding this issue.
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ABOUT NWRA
The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) represents the private sector waste and recycling services industry. Association members conduct business in all 50 states and include companies that manage waste, recycling and medical waste, equipment manufacturers and distributors, and various other service providers. For more information about NWRA, please visit www.wasterecycling.org.
Contact
Brandon Wright
National Waste and Recycling Association
bwright@wasterecycling.org
202-364-3706
