If you like to talk on a cell phone will driving, you may want to steer clear of Marlboro Township, N.J., on your next trip. The township’s council is preparing for a final vote on a law that would ban drivers from using cell phones while behind the wheel.
“Studies have shown that talking on a cell phone is akin to drunk driving,” said Barry Denkensohn, Marlboro Township council vice president and sponsor of the proposed bill, citing a Canadian study showing that talking on a cell phone induces a driving impairment equal to a blood-alcohol level of .10.
The proposed ordinance will allow police officers to pull over anyone seen talking on a wireless phone unless they are using a hands-free device or are calling to report an emergency situation. The ordinance gives the officer the right to issue a fine of up to $250 for a first time offense.
“There has been a lot of debate on this issue with some people suggesting this should be the state’s job,” Denkensohn continued. “New Jersey has two bills pending in committee. I talked to an aide who told me those bills are practically dead. It is the state’s responsibility, but it is my job as a councilman to act.”
If the proposed ordinance passes, Marlboro Township will be the fifth community in the nation to have enacted laws banning the use of cell phones while driving, including three cities in Pennsylvania and one in Ohio.
Those opposed to such legislation note that the ultimate responsibility belongs to the driver and that educating them on proper cell phone usage is the real answer to the problem.
“There is a growing concern on distracted driving,” said Lisa Ihde, spokeswoman for the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association. “We want to work with safety groups, including local legislatures, on educating drivers on the proper use of wireless devices while driving.”
One of Denkensohn’s fellow council members in Marlboro Township, Paul Kovalski Jr., has problems with the law.
“Education and regulation is the key vs. legislation,” Kovalski told CNNfn, after voting against the ordinance. Kovalski noted that current laws already allow police officers to ticket unsafe driving, and the new law would cost the township thousands of dollars in new signs.
Research reports focusing on cell- phone distractions while driving have released differing opinions on the subject. In 1997, the New England Journal of Medicine and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration published reports noting that the distraction caused by using a cell phone can increase the risk of an accident.
A year later, the California Highway Patrol conducted its own survey on the available research and concluded that none of the research could make a statement that wireless phones cause traffic accidents. In addition, 70 percent of the CHP’s own officers felt that cell phones were no worse than other driver distractions.
More recently, a study by the University of Toronto found that even using a hands-free device while driving is four times more likely to cause an accident than not using a cell phone at all.
Denkensohn said he hopes other communities follow the lead of Marlboro Township in its attempt to make its streets safer, noting that if even one life is saved due to the pending ordinance, it will be worth the price.
