OXFORD, United Kingdom-While being bombarded by mobile operators to use more services, cell-phone users are coming under increasing pressure from other bodies not to use their handsets. In the United Kingdom, the Association of British Insurers is calling for the Department of Transport to impose penalty points on motorists’ licenses for using cell phones when driving. The association claims that trials strongly indicate drivers using handsets suffer from markedly reduced reaction times, increasing the risk of accidents, and warned that such convictions could push up insurance premiums.
Meanwhile, in Germany, the use of cell phones has been banned at petrol stations for fears that radio frequency (RF) transmissions from the handsets could cause the petrol fumes to ignite at the pumps. Authorities in the United Kingdom have also warned against this after three incidents where cell phones were believed to have caused petrol fumes to ignite. However, experts stress that the risk of fumes igniting when cell phones are used is small.
