NSC calls for full ban on cellphone use while driving

The National Safety Council has called for a wholesale ban on motorist use of wireless devices, creating a public-relations dilemma for a cellphone industry that advocates safe driving and no longer opposes state hands-free prohibitions, but likely would oppose more sweeping legislation.
“Studies show that driving while talking on a cellphone is extremely dangerous and puts drivers at a four times greater risk of a crash,” said Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the NSC. “Driving drunk is also dangerous and against the law. When our friends have been drinking, we take the car keys away. It’s time to take the cellphone away.”
California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Washington and the District of Columbia outlaw driving while talking on handheld mobile phones, while numerous other states have targeted laws outlawing cellphone talking and texting by teens and bus drivers. The NSC said an across-the-board ban is necessary because government and university studies show hands-free wireless gadgets do not improve driver concentration and could make matters worse in some cases.
In December, RCR Wireless News first reported the NSC was poised to address the wireless driver-distraction issue head-on in a story on Public Citizen’s lawsuit against the Bush administration to obtain withheld records on traffic deaths associated with cellphone use by drivers.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which says use of hands-fee devices is just as dangerous talking on a handheld phone while behind the wheel, did not have a comment on the NSC’s proposed ban.
“It may be hard for some people to imagine how certain laws, such as those concerning drunk driving, teen driving, seatbelt use and booster seats, can be enforced by observation alone,” Froetscher said. “Smart people in law enforcement get together to address such issues. They develop creative and successful measures to identify violators, such as high-visibility enforcement strategies. . The change we are looking for, to stop cellphone use while driving, won’t happen overnight. There will be a day, however, when we look back and wonder how we could have been so reckless with our cellphones and texting devices.”
Plan of attack
The NSC said it will pursue a three-prong approach to curbing cellphone conversations and texting by drivers through advocacy of legislation, education and supplementing distracted-driving content in training of 1.5 million people annually in defensive driving. One option for the NSC is to lobby Congress to tie transportation funding to state passage of laws totally banning handheld phone use, texting and hands-free device by drivers.
The NSC, though, likely will face an uphill battle in getting states to enact the kind of overarching restrictions it proposes.
The Governor Highway Safety Association said it believes the NSC is going too far, but it applauded the high-profile attention given to the problem.
“While the effectiveness of banning cellphone use is subject to debate, what is not debatable is that using any type of cellphone is distracting to drivers,” the GHSA stated. “Numerous studies have concluded that hands-free phone use does not mitigate crash risk. In a study released last year by Carnegie Mellon University, researcher Marcel Just stated that listening to a cellphone while driving can reduce by 37% the amount of brain activity associated with driving. This can cause drivers to weave out of their lane, based on the performance of subjects using a driving simulator. Just last month, another study from the University of Utah reaffirmed that hands-free phones are as distracting as handheld models.”
The GHSA said that while it does not support a legislative ban on all cellphone use for all drivers, it backs a ‘no-use’ message when it comes to mobile phones and driving. As such, the GHSA recommends that states ban all non-emergency cellphone use and text messaging for new drivers as well as for school bus drivers. (Presently, only 17 state states and the District of Columbia have enacted these laws); that states include a category for cellphone/electronic equipment distraction on crash investigation forms. (Currently, 29 states collect this information); that the federal government continue to fund its media campaign to alert the public to the dangers of distracted driving; and that the private sector take a leadership role such that employers prohibit text messaging and cellphone use by drivers except in emergency situations.
Federal funding of wireless driver distraction is relatively miniscule, likely far less than what the mobile-phone industry spends on driver safety.
Going too far?
The cellular industry said it believes NSC’s approach is draconian and fails to take into account practical considerations – like an adult driver taking an important call from a child – and the widespread use of mobile phones by drivers to make 911 emergency calls.
“There is no question that irresponsible use of a wireless device is on the long list of potential driving distractions, including the NHTSA-documented No. 1 driver distraction of drowsiness,” said John Walls, VP for public affairs at cellular association CTIA in a blog posting. “The industry agrees with the National Safety Council and numerous other well-regarded safety organizations on several safety issues, such as bans on text messaging while driving and restricting cellular use by teen or inexperienced drivers. But when looking at the implications of a total ban, it’s important to look at all of the situations that can occur and consider the ramifications of a total prohibition.”