WASHINGTON —
The National Transportation Safety Board urged federal and state governments to ban motor coach and school bus drivers from using cell phones-except in emergencies-while operating those vehicles, an action that comes as government investigators probe the cause of a school bus accident in Alabama last week in which four students have died.
The NTSB’s recommendation was prompted by a separate bus accident two years ago just outside the nation’s capital in Virginia. During impact, the bus’ roof was destroyed and 11 students were injured, one of them seriously, the NTSB said. The agency said the bus driver was talking on a hands-free cell phone at the time of the accident.
“Professional drivers who have dozens of passengers’ lives entrusted to them should devote their full attention to their task,” NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker said. “What we saw in this accident is appalling and could have resulted in great tragedy.”
The NTSB concluded the driver’s cognitive distraction resulting from his use of a hands-free cell phone caused the accident. The use of either a hand-held or hands-free cellular telephone while driving can impair the performance of even a Commercial Drivers License holder, such as the driver in this accident, the NTSB said. The safety board said the extent of the problem of cell-phone use is unknown because of inadequate statistics, and the NTSB reiterated previous recommendations to the 20 states that do not have driver-distraction codes on their accident investigation forms to add interactive wireless communication device use to those forms.
The NTSB’s latest findings come as cities and states around the country are attempting to pass legislation or have enacted laws prohibiting cell-phone use by drivers, while allowing them to use hands-free devices to carry on phone conversations while behind the wheel. New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California and the District of Columbia fall into the latter category.
In addition to the NTSB, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and university researchers say hands-free cellular gadgets do not improve driver concentration.
The NTSB, which has yet to determine the cause of last week’s school bus crash in Huntsville, Ala., recommended in 2003 that states prohibit teen drivers from using handheld cell phones or hands-free accessories. Several states have put such laws on the books in recent years.
