The National Safety Council has issued a statement urging motorists to stop the use of cell phones while driving, whether handheld or through the use of a hands-free device.
The council also implored state governments to pass laws banning such conduct.
Though not as strict as other states, the Virginia General Assembly is no stranger to bills regarding cell phone use while driving. Most recently, a bill regulating the use of handheld cell phones was passed by the Senate's Transportation Committee, but it has since been redirected by the full Senate because of concerns about its enforceability.
This proposition comes after the conclusion of multiple studies by leading institutions throughout the country that the leading factor in automobile crashes is distracted drivers.
"It is the NSC's belief that a hands-free device is no safer than a handheld device," said Meredith Morris, the National Safety Council spokeswoman.
A 2003 study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that nearly 80 percent of car accidents are due to driver inattention.
"We did not study cell phone usage specifically," said Sherri Box, VTTI spokeswoman.
Mobile phone usage was instead included in the study labeled as driver inattention, alongside involvement in secondary tasks, such as eating.
The NSC also references studies by the University of Utah concluding that cell phone use while driving is equally dangerous, whether handheld or hands-free. One study concluded that "inattention blindness" might occur while talking on the phone.
The risks involved with driving and talking have been found to be similar to drunken driving.
Motorists may be looking directly at the road, but they are distracted by the conversation and do not fully process what they see.
"Phone use makes it hard to concentrate while you're driving," said Sgt. Robert Carpentieri of the Virginia State Police.
Current laws involving the use of cell phones while driving vary from state to state. No state currently prohibits the use of cell phones while driving altogether, except for new drivers and school bus operators. However, five states and the District of Columbia ban the use of handheld cellular devices while driving, including California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington.
In all of these areas, handheld cell phone usage is a primary enforcement law, meaning that tickets can be issued independently of any other traffic offense.
The bill, proposed by state Sen. Patricia Ticer (D-30th), would make it illegal to talk on a cellular device while driving unless a hands-free accessory is used. There is no correlation between Ticer's bill and the NSC's proposition, however.
Numerous states have recently contacted the NSC, said Morris. "They all called us for support on bills they have on the books or may be proposing related to cell phone use while driving."
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Conversations with passengers may be just as distracting as hands-free cell phone usage. Cell phones have become an integral part of most people's lives, and to even think that their use would be completely banned while driving is absurd. Hands-free use only would seem to be a reasonable compromise between safety and practicality.
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Actually - cell phone use and inside-cabin conversations with passengers are two different things and the stats prove it. People driving while Texting (their eyes on the keypad Not on the road. Their eyes on dialing phone numbers, etc...) Locally there are plenty of examples to support this and nationally there are hundreds of thousands of accidents caused directly by people messing with their phones while driving. It's not absurd. It's logical and about safety. There is No reason to be gabbing on the phone while driving, you should be Driving!
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Genius, I said hands-free use. This implies bluetooth/voice dialing. I don't know where you got the idea that I was comparing texting and keypad usage to talking with passengers. Of course they are more distracting.
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All I know is I hate getting behind someone talking on the phone at all (hands free or otherwise). Phones in cars should only be used for emergencies or when the driver pulls off the road!
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as a motorcyclist, people in "cages" talking on their cell phones are one of the biggest threats, hence why i where my shirt that says "HANG UP AND DRIVE," i dont need to talk on a cell phone will riding, you dont need to talk on your cell phone while driving
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While conversations with passengers can be just as distracting as using a phone with hands-free/bluetooth devices, the people in the car can see you running off the road or the people braking in front of you, while the people on the other end of the phone can't...
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"The Dudue," my point is that I don't believe either is that terribly distracting. Very seldom do I find myself so engrossed in a conversation that my driving suffers, regardless of whether it's on bluetooth or with a passenger. Granted, I am just an all-around awesome driver, so I can't speak for others, whose lesser driving talents might not allow them to multitask as amazingly as I can.
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"The Dudue," my point is that I don't believe either is that terribly distracting. Very seldom do I find myself so engrossed in a conversation that my driving suffers, regardless of whether it's on bluetooth or with a passenger. Granted, I am just an all-around awesome driver, so I can't speak for others, whose lesser driving talents might not allow them to multitask as amazingly as I can.
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What an excellent idea! Next we should take steps to ban anything else that could potentially distract drivers, like eating or applying makeup. Conversations with passengers can be engaging as well, so they need to be banned also. And what's with people who listen to music while driving? I can't concentrate on the road if the radio's on, so the government needs to ban that too. After all, there is NO reason to be listening to music while driving, you should be driving! Of course, after we get rid of all these dangerous distractions, drivers might fall asleep in droves from sheer boredom. Logically then, the next step would be to mandate ingestion of stimulants while driving to ensure that people stay awake behind the wheel. Then our highways would finally be the bastion of safety that they should be.
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So, lets say a small leadership class in high school is working on banning cell phones in their state. Does this bill mean its already being done and they should move on to something else, or should they keep going on their idea because there is no garintee that the bill will be passed?
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