National Safety Council calls for nationwide ban on cellphone use while driving

There's already been a number of states that have passed some form of ban on cellphone use while driving, but the National Safety Council seems to think that there's still far too many folks out there talking or texting behind the wheel, and it's now calling for an all out nationwide ban on the practice. What's more, the group also says that laws that allow for handsfree cellphone use are "giving people a placebo, in effect," and that they don't, in fact, make calling while driving any safer. The group also seems to be taking particular aim at businesses, saying that calling while driving can increase costs and even open up employers to liability. As you might have guessed, however, the cellphone industry, and the CTIA specifically, disagree with that assessment quite a bit, and instead say that they believe that "safe, sensible and limited use of a cell phone when you're behind the wheel is possible," and that if someone is "driving irresponsibly because of cell phone use, they should be cited for that. And under current law, they can be."

[dazepro @ Jan 13th 2009 2:02PM]

I actually just got a ticket for this the other day. I hope the rest of the country enjoys it...

[ZeroCorpse @ Jan 13th 2009 2:44PM]

Good. With all due respect, I'm glad you got a ticket.

You endanger everyone else when you drive with a cell phone glued to your head. You're distracted, you're driving with one hand (most likely), and your reaction time is hindered. There's no phone call so important that it's worth you risking MY life by driving while talking on your mobile. Pull over and talk, go hands free, or wait to talk.

Pay your fine and learn from it.

[ZeroCorpse @ Jan 13th 2009 2:47PM]

I stand corrected on the hands free. I see how that should be banned, too.

I think they make a good case for it a few posts down.

Either way, you were driving distracted. Sorry, but I agree with the law on this one.

[Jake Tobak @ Jan 13th 2009 2:56PM]

You presume that your life is worth more than my phone calls.
Also, I am perfectly able to drive safely when on my phone. Mostly because my calls don't distract my driving, my driving distracts my calls. Focused as much as I need to be on driving and what ever is left over goes towards phone calls and changing the station on the radio.

[Levi @ Jan 13th 2009 2:57PM]

The law is BS and in place for idiots who can't multitask. Unfortunately, there are a lot of idiots on the road. I can drive JUST FINE while talking on the phone, an I really don't care what people like you think. It's bs.

Do you think cops are immune? Because they actually are. So if you're so for this law, then you have to be against it at least a little. I will be against this law until they outlaw radios, GPS, eating, and maybe even passengers, because ALL OF THE ABOVE are just as bad as talking on a damn phone.

Sorry you got the ticket dude. Think of it is a regular fee for the priviledge of talking in your car, because we have to pay for that sort I thing now.

[HemanC @ Jan 13th 2009 3:24PM]

To the idiots,
Yea, just like seatbelt. Your driving is so godly, you can drive without them as well. Take them off, feel the freedom.

[Jake Tobak @ Jan 13th 2009 3:29PM]

I've gotten into the habit of driving with my seatbelt, and me being a god doesn't prevent me getting hit by other drivers who aren't quite at the deity level yet.
You risk dying by just being alive, I believe the risk of death/injury from talking on a cell phone while driving is small enough that it is not worth the inconvenience of me not answering my calls. You walk down stairs because the risk of falling (down or into someone) is nothing compared to the glory at the bottom of the stairs, same thing.

[dazepro @ Jan 13th 2009 7:01PM]

I am glad to pay the fine, I broke the law. But @ZeroCorpse: 1. I have never been in an accident over the 10 years I have been driving 2. I have used my cell phone just about everyone of those days while driving 3. I was 3 in the morning so unless you pulled in front of me drunk out of your mind, I am sure I wouldn't hit you.

[Tony @ Jan 13th 2009 9:26PM]

Things that can distract you when driving
1.Talking on Cell phone Blue tooth or hand held
2. Drinking coffee
3. Putting on make up
4. Changing a radio station
5. sneezing
6. Listening to radio station
7. Talking to someone
8. Annoying kid in car
9. eating
10. shaving
11. Dog on lap
12. Big colorful billboards that are designed to take our eye off the road to look at them
13.



did i miss any we should ban them all

[psfour @ Jan 13th 2009 2:03PM]

Its what has happened in the UK. Now anybody you see who's using a phone whilst driving you think is a idiot. And you can tell they have alot less control of there vehicle.

But then you laugh at the people with stupid bluetooth adapters!

£30 fine if caught as well.

[Kabadisha @ Jan 13th 2009 2:54PM]

Actually in the UK the fine is considerably more than £30... £1000 fine for car drivers, raising to £2,500 for goods vehicle drivers or coach/bus drivers, and three penalty points on the offender's licence.

However, I agree that it is a good idea, no-one needs to make a call that badly that they should be allowed to increase their risk of killing themselves, or worse, others.

[ImaYam @ Jan 13th 2009 11:53PM]

Dam, just as I was replying to another comment while driving, i hear about this!

hold on, theres an oncoming c

[Jon Gibbons @ Jan 14th 2009 4:27AM]

Actual in the UK this is the current law for mobile phone in car use and even hands free

From 1 December 2003 it became a specific offence to use a hand-held mobile phone in a moving vehicle. The penalty was a £30 fixed penalty or up to £1,000 on conviction in court (£2,500 for drivers of goods vehicles, buses or coaches), but no points. However from 27 February 2007 the penalty is now 3 points on your licence a minimum fine of £60.

The new regulations apply to the drivers of all motor vehicles on the road, including cars, motorcycles, goods vehicles, buses, coaches and taxis. They also apply to anyone supervising a learner driver, while the learner driver is driving. Anyone supervising a learner driver needs to be concentrating on what the driver is doing and should not be using a mobile phone.

Provided that a phone can be operated without holding it, then hands-free equipment is not prohibited by the new regulation. And pushing buttons on a phone while it is in a cradle or on the steering wheel or handlebars of a motorbike for example is not covered by the new offence, provided you don't hold the phone.

However, hands-free phones are also distracting and you still risk prosecution for failing to have proper control of a vehicle under Regulation 104 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 if you use a hands-free phone when driving. If there is an incident, the use of any phone or similar device might justify charges of careless or dangerous driving.

[psfour @ Jan 14th 2009 11:11AM]

Well put jon. You can see you have put some effort into what you say.

[Jon gibbons @ Jan 15th 2009 5:21AM]

Thank you PSfour, I have actually been stopped and fined, but no points it was post change, and I have to say it stopped me from doing it, I now no longer use the phone in the car, if it rings I ignore it, its not difficult its called self restraint, long may the fine exist and be inforced I say

[Jon Gibbons @ Jan 15th 2009 5:29AM]

I believe in Israel, Japan, Portugal and Singapore they prohibit all mobile phone use while driving, including hands-free.

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Jan 13th 2009 2:04PM]

hooray! hooray! hooray! Every car that almost runs me off the road, has a driver on a cellphone.

The world won't end if you can't talk on your cellphone while driving. Our parents survived in those days, so I think we can too.

[Platinum_Skeet @ Jan 13th 2009 4:13PM]

Easy work around...

Tint your car windows....

[Randy @ Jan 13th 2009 4:30PM]

@Platinum_Skeet

You can't tint your front driver and passenger side windows if you live in NJ. It's illegal. And so is talking on the phone w/o a headset if you're the driver.

[Verythrax @ Jan 13th 2009 2:04PM]

I fail to see how handsfree would not solve the problem. So the next step will be ban chatting with other persons in the car while driving?

[w00master @ Jan 13th 2009 2:08PM]

In nearly every study, there was no discernible difference between a driver who was chatting on a cellphone and a driver who was chatting using a handsfree. NONE.

It's the act of actively conversing that's the problem.

[Verythrax @ Jan 13th 2009 2:14PM]

So, my second statement holds true?

[Patriks7 @ Jan 13th 2009 2:18PM]

The problem is that you are thinking about different stuff when you are calling, no matter if its handsfree, but not about driving.

[GBsLaw @ Jan 13th 2009 2:29PM]

Studies show that driving performance does not degrade when conversing with a passenger because they intuitively change their speech according to conditions, pausing during a maneuver or even pointing out a danger. As the driver, you also count on this and thus don't hesitate to stop talking when you need to, secure in the knowledge that the passenger knows why you're pausing.

When speaking over a cell phone, however, performance degrades to a level similar to having had a few too many drinks. The other party expects you to respond in a timely manner and they keep talking even when you need to pay attention to something else. As a result, you're forced to devote much more attention to the caller than you would to a passenger.

[N D @ Jan 13th 2009 2:27PM]

The reason speaking on the phone is different than conversing in the vehicle is that the other participants in the 'in car conversation' are aware of the driving conditions and events, so they tend to do things like stop talking when a turn is approaching. In effect, when talking in the car, the conversation is secondary to the driving. When talking on a cell phone, the conversation is equivalent to the driving.

[MadMike @ Jan 13th 2009 2:24PM]

Banning hands free devices would almost be totally unenforceable. For instance, I have BlueTooth built into my car. How would the LEO know I was talking on the phone or just singing along to my music? They wouldn't... Plain and Simple. Cops can _see_ you on the cell phone. Most types of ear buds or headsets are actually very hard to see from outside the car. I can see where they are going with the headsets though, it does block and ear which could be dangerous while driving. But true hands free with a speaker in the car or built into the stereo? They can't enforce that and they probably won't make that illegal.

[Mark @ Jan 13th 2009 3:55PM]

Yes now I can ban my wife's nagging from the car. Now if I can only find a way to figure out how to use my phone GPS system in my car without touching it. I wonder if I can learn the jedi mind trick from the previous post?

[Billy Bob @ Jan 13th 2009 2:29PM]

Verythrax @ Jan 13th 2009 2:04PM
"I fail to see how handsfree would not solve the problem. So the next step will be ban chatting with other persons in the car while driving?"
I agree... without the hardware in your hand, how is it any different then talking to a passenger in the car? In fact it's probably safer than talking to a passenger because you don't have to look at the person you're speaking to.

This is like just about everything else in the USA today where a small group of people think they need to make new laws. As a nation, we can't allow a small vocal minority to make NEW rules for an apathetic silent majority. If we don't stop the crazies, we'll continue to lose our freedoms. Just look at what groups like MADD have done for our freedoms... they won't be happy until we abolish alcohol and cigarettes completely.

[Jorvay @ Jan 13th 2009 2:35PM]

@MadMike

Consider this though: you are in a collision. Investigation reveals that there was a BT unit in your car and your phone records show you were using the phone at the time. Suddenly there's some strong evidence that it was your fault. So you could be found to be at fault, and your insurance company could use it as an excuse to raise your rates.

[Hd72 @ Jan 13th 2009 2:44PM]

What some studies have shown is that talking on the phone is *very* different than talking to a person who is actually with you. Talking on the phone activates different areas of the brain - similar to daydreaming. You're much less attentive to what's going on in front of you.

[ilh @ Jan 13th 2009 2:43PM]

While I don't disagree that the concentration side of the conversation using handsfree might be the same, there's a physical hindrance when actually holding the phone so I cannot agree that there's no safety difference between the two.

[MadMike @ Jan 13th 2009 2:44PM]

Verythrax: You need to subpoena phone records. Insurance companies and private parties are not allowed to view them. Only police and prosecutors. 99.999% of accidents don't go that far. Person A collides with Person B, Person A & B both point finger at each other, cops take statements, say Person A was at fault and writes report, Insurance Co's use police report in findings. Nowhere in that process would there be reason enough for a Judge to sign off on a warrant. In a case that goes to trial, maybe.

[MadMike @ Jan 13th 2009 2:46PM]

whoops, I meant Jorvay. Sorry.

[Steve @ Jan 13th 2009 2:55PM]

"so I cannot agree that there's no safety difference between the two"

You don't need to agree. What does your opinion have to do with this.

[Alexandre Emond @ Jan 13th 2009 2:56PM]

@Verythrax:
So true. I can't tell you how my wife commenting my driving or parenting my rebel teenager daughter can be distracting. No cell phone call can beat that.

[Frankenstein Black @ Jan 13th 2009 3:56PM]

If the issue is “cell phone to ear” while driving, then I understand. But if the ban seeks to include headsets and hands free then F’EM! There are ass loads of driver distractions some of which have been around forever:
* Reading (directions, maps, etc.) - Ban that too!
* Shaving - Ban that too!
* Applying makeup - Ban that too!
* Talking to other car occupants (i.e. kids in the back seat) - Ban that too!
* Fiddling with radios, GPS navigation, etc. - Ban that too!

I can keep going. Look, there will always be jerk-offs on the road. Just the act of driving is challenging for some. If they really want to fix it either Ban ALL perceived/possible in car distractions (impossible) or MAKE DRIVERS LICENSE EXPIRE (REQUIRING A WRITTEN TEST EVERY 5 YEARS). Fail the test, loose your license until you pass. Heck, they could even raise much needed revenue by charging a fee. To think that someone is granted a LIFE TIME DRIVER’S LICENSE just for paying attention and passing it in less than one hour on one day out of an entire lifetime is ridiculous!

Oh, and before someone goes APE saying how impossible this would be, guess what. They do it in Germany land of the Autobahn and Nurburgring. And guess what else, their high way fatalities per capita is less than ours!!

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Jan 13th 2009 8:09PM]

Have you ever driven and talked on the phone at the same time? On the rare occasion where I do, I realize when I get home that I remember almost nothing about the trip. Sure I didn't hit anyone, but I sure as hell can't imagine it's safe.

But then again, I pay more attention to my driving than most. It's Serious Business.

[tekd @ Jan 15th 2009 4:13AM]

Sometimes though, if your passenger is say...your old friend from high school who had some serious ADD and never learned how to drive, you have to gently remind them to pay attention and to stop talking when it looks like the driver needs to focus.

As far as cell phones go-people definitely drive like crap when they're on the phone. Do some people drive less like crap than others? Definitely, but you're still liable to go slam into a deer/kid without realizing. So then, the solution is obviously to get our 4G networks up and running ASAP so the person you're talking with will have a nice video feed of your current driving conditions to go along with your conversation.
I suppose though if you and your conversation partner were both driving that this would just make things that much more dangerous, so perhaps only 1 person can be driving in any given conversation =p

[lfred @ Jan 13th 2009 2:05PM]

the cellphone industry, and the CTIA specifically, disagree with that assessment quite a bit

oh ?

Well, here in Europe they seem to agree. In most european countries (if not all) using a cellphone while driving
is totally forbidden en the fines are steep (> 100 Euro). Is it such a big deal to use a headset or a carkit ? Headset
usually comes for free in the phone's box.

[Verythrax @ Jan 13th 2009 2:09PM]

Hey, they are talking about a COMPLETE ban, hands-free kits included.

[loocas @ Jan 13th 2009 2:31PM]

So much for the freedom, huh? :D

[absinthe party @ Jan 13th 2009 2:05PM]

I have voice-activated bluetooth technology hoodoo in my Nissan and I'm about as distracted while driving and talking as if I was carrying on a conversation with someone sitting in the passenger seat. Incorporate this into all cars, eventually, and problem solved? Doesn't Sync have some badass text-to-voice magic going on, too?

[Denver_80203 @ Jan 13th 2009 2:31PM]

"I'm about as distracted while driving and talking as if I was carrying on a conversation with someone sitting in the passenger seat."

yeah but the person on the phone doesn't stop talking and says "heads up!" while you drive into the other lane or 15 miles below the speed limit.

[absinthe party @ Jan 13th 2009 2:38PM]

How the hell would that even happen? My eyes are still on the road, both of my hands are on the wheel, and my focus is still on driving. I can also walk and chew gum at the same time.

[arkweld @ Jan 13th 2009 4:29PM]

"yeah but the person on the phone doesn't stop talking and says "heads up!" while you drive into the other lane or 15 miles below the speed limit."

Neither does an 8 year old or someone in the backseat not watching traffic.

[Lazy Kyle @ Jan 13th 2009 2:06PM]

About time someone proposed this! Citing "sensible" use is comical. When was the last time you thought anyone else on the road had any common sense?

[JH @ Jan 13th 2009 2:11PM]

They need to have a law regarding idiots who feel the desire to drive with their damn dogs, and other pets, on their laps. These people who feel the need to cuddle with their animals while they operate a moving vehicle have serious insecurity issues to begin with, and then you put them behind the wheel, and it is an accident waiting to happen. Don't get me wrong, I am not blaming the dog or animal, but these drivers are a complete menace on the roadway. I have seen drivers with dogs in their hands as they try to take a curve nearly driving off the roadway or hitting others. Leave your damn pets at home, or in the backside! Cell phone drivers are pretty much the same way, the absolute worst being teenage girls that are terrible drivers to begin with, and can't seem to talk on the phone and drive at the same time because the majority of them feel the need to text as well. It is amazing how stupid our society has gotten but since we now live in a "Me" world, where it is all about me, people just don't give a damn about the safety of others on the roadways.

[GaryZ @ Jan 13th 2009 2:09PM]

handsfree == placebo? what's next? ban talking while driving?

[fanman @ Jan 13th 2009 2:10PM]

In the UK, hands free is legal.

[HEY!!!! @ Jan 13th 2009 2:15PM]

I'm all for this i can't tell you how many times i've had problems with people driving and talking on the phone but it's banned here in DC and people don't care i see it all the time. The only way this will work is if the make the fine like $500 or some crazy number to put it into peoples heads.