US safety group urges nation-wide ban on drive-by cell use

WASHINGTON — One thing about regulation: It’s infectious.

Various U.S. states and Canadian provinces have legislated the banning of hand-held cell phones while operating a vehicles, and now the National Safety Council in the U.S. is pushing to stop any type of cell phone use across the entire country.

The group issued a release calling on drivers to stop using cell phones and messaging devices while driving, and is urging governors and legislators in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to pass laws banning the behavior.

"Studies show that driving while talking on a cell phone 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 cell phone away."

In Canada, Quebec, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia—and soon, Ontario and Manitoba—have enacted some form of cell phone and texting restrictions.

No Dial Tone: NSC claims virtually no business productivity
would be lost in the event of a national cell phone ban

The NSC cites a study from the Harvard Center of Risk Analysis, which estimates that cell phone use while driving contributes to 6 percent of crashes, which equates to 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injuries and 2,600 deaths each year. The study also put the annual financial toll of cell phone-related crashes at $43 billion.

Talking on a cell phone may be less distracting than some other activities people may engage in while driving, but the use of cell phones and texting devices is much more pervasive, making it more dangerous overall, Froetscher said.

The NSC also claims that hands-free devices do not make cell phone calls any safer. The group goes on to suggest that talking to passengers, as opposed to talking on a cell phone, actually makes adult drivers safer, because passengers help alert drivers to potential driving risks.

"When you’re on a call, even if both hands are on the wheel, your head is in the call, and not on your driving," Froetscher said. "Unlike the passenger sitting next to you, the person on the other end of the call is oblivious to your driving conditions. The passenger provides another pair of eyes on the road."

The group acknowledges that a significant amount of vehicular cell phone use is done on the job. However, according to its own internal business surveys banning cell phone use would have virtually no effect on business productivity.

Froetscher admits that enforcing bans in all states will be a challenge, but she said the NSC has successfully faced similar challenges in the past, such as seatbelt enforcement.

— with files from Truckinginfo.com