NSC Wants All US States to Ban Drivers from Using Cell Phones
With so many motorists using cell phones on US roads, the National Safety Council is calling on lawmakers in the District of Columbia and all 50 US states to ban the use of cell phones and messaging devices while people are driving. The Harvard Center of Risk Analysis reports that about 636,000 auto accidents a year occur because a driver was talking on the phone or text messaging. 2,600 people die and 330,000 people are injured annually as a result.
Contrary to popular belief, the NSC says that the University of Utah researchers have studies showing that talking on a hands-free device is not safer than talking on a hand-held cell phone. In Illinois, localities are allowed to come up with their own laws regarding cell phone use by motorists. Chicago has a ban on hand-held cell phones while driving. The entire state, however, prohibits drivers younger than 19 and school bus drivers from using any kind of cell phone when operating their vehicles.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, a driver’s ability to safely operate a vehicle is seriously impaired when talking on the phone or text messaging because not only do motorists take their eyes off the road when operating their devices, but they can get so involved in their conversations that their concentration is not where it should be—on the road. According to a Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. survey of 1,200 drivers, 73% of the participants use cell phones when operating their vehicles.
Text messaging while driving is also a common habit, especially for teen drivers. Nationwide also found in January 2007 that 19% of drivers admitted to texting while driving.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that drivers who talk and text message on cell phones have a four times greater chance of becoming involved in an injury accident than motorists who don’t use these devices while driving.
National Safety Council Calls for Nationwide Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving, NSC.org
Cell Phone Laws, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Related Web Resources:
Cellphones and Driving, Insurance Information Institute, October 2008
Illinois Cell Phone Laws, DMV.org
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