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National Safety Council calls for nationwide ban on cell phone use while driving

By Jack Lebowitz, Esq. and Vadim Mzhen, Esq.

The National Safety Council wants all US states to ban motorists from using cell phones while driving. NSC CEO and President Janet Froetscher noted that talking on the phone while driving increases a driver?s chances of becoming involved in an auto crash by four times more than if he or she were driving without using one.

Currently, six US states have laws banning the use of hand held cell phones while driving:

? District of Columbia
? Washington
? California
? Utah
? New Jersey
? Connecticut

Seven US States have a ban on text messaging while driving:

? District of Columbia
? Connecticut
? Alaska
? New Jersey
? Washington State
? Minnesota
? Louisiana

While some localities within US states that do not have statewide bans have imposed their own cell phone restrictions, including bans on hand-held phones and text messaging and bans affecting teen drivers and school bus drivers, the states of Kentucky, Florida, Nevada, Louisiana, Oregon, Mississippi, Utah, and Louisiana prohibit their localities from imposing any such bans.

The NSC is quick to point out that just because someone is using a hands-free phone does not mean that he or she is now operating the vehicle safely. According to a Harvard Center of Risk Analysis 2003 study, cell-phone use while driving is a contributing factor in 6% of auto accidents each year. Some 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries result from such collisions.

According to a Nationwide Insurance public opinion poll, 81% of US drivers use a cell phone when driving. Froetscher notes that cellular phone use while driving is more dangerous than talking to a passenger who is in the same vehicle. While talking to a real person makes the driver aware that lives are at stake if he or she doesn?t drive safely, talking on the cell phone places the motorist?s attention not on the road and in the present moment but elsewhere.

In addition to pushing for a change in current driving laws, the NSC is advocating more education about the dangers that come from driving with a cell phone, as well as better training.

National Safety Council Calls for Nationwide Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving, NSC.org, January 12, 2009

Safety council urges ban on cell phone use while driving, CNN.com, January 12, 2009

Related Web Resources:

Maryland Cell Phone Law, DMV.org

Washington D.C. Hands-Free Law, Driving Laws.org

Cell Phone Driving Laws, Governors Highway Safety Association

In Washington DC and Maryland, contact our personal injury lawyers at Lebowtiz & Mzhen to discuss your motor vehicle crash case.

Full post as published by Maryland Accident Law Blog on January 13, 2009 (boomark / email).