WASHINGTON-Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) signed into law legislation banning driver use of handheld cell phones, while a similar prohibition went into effect last week in Chicago.
Connecticut joins New York, New Jersey and the District of Columbia in enacting dialing-and-driving restrictions. Other states and cities are considering driver cell-phone bans, with some state legislatures this year passing bills to keep mobile phones out of the hands of teen drivers.
Cingular Wireless L.L.C., the No. 1 mobile-phone operator and a vocal advocate of safe teen driving, said it is offering discounted hands-free products to Chicago residents to help them comply with a new city law.
It is unclear, however, whether new hands-free laws are making driving safer for cell-phone subscribers. Government and university research has found hands-free devices do not improve driver concentration and may even make driving more dangerous because of longer dialing times and the potential for complications associated with keeping ear pieces in place.
