U.S. Safety Board Urges Cell Phone Ban for Drivers
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
U.S Safety Board Urges Cell Phone Ban for
Drivers
By: Matt Richtel, The New York Times
A federal agency on Tuesday called for a ban on all cellphone use
by drivers - the most far-reaching such recommendation to date -
saying its decision was based on a decade of investigations into
distraction-related accidents, as well as growing concerns that
powerful mobile devices are giving drivers even more reasons to
look away from the road.
As part of its recommendation, the National Transportation
Safety Board is urging states to ban drivers from using hands-free
devices, including wireless headsets. No state now outlaws such
activity, but the board said that drivers faced serious risks from
talking on wireless headsets, just as they do by taking a hand off
the wheel to hold a phone to their ear.
And Deborah Hersman, chairwoman of the N.T.S.B., an independent
federal agency responsible for promoting traffic safety and
investigating accidents, said the concern was heightened by
increasingly powerful phones that people can use to e-mail, watch
movies and play games.
"Every year, new devices are being released," she said. "People
are tempted to update their Facebook page, they are tempted to
tweet, as if sitting at a desk. But they are driving a car."
The agency based its recommendation on evidence from its
investigation of numerous crashes in which electronic distraction
was a major contributing factor.
Ms. Hersman said she understood that this recommendation would
be unwelcome in some circles, given the number of drivers who talk
and text. But she compared distracted driving to drunken driving
and even smoking, which required wholesale cultural shifts to
change behavior.
"It's going to be very unpopular with some people," she said.
"We're not here to win a popularity contest. We're here to do the
right thing. This is a difficult recommendation, but it's the right
recommendation and it's time."
The agency's recommendation is nonbinding, meaning that states
are not required to adopt such a ban. And it will likely be frowned
upon by state lawmakers makers who are loath to infuriate
constituents who have grown accustomed to using their device behind
the wheel.
But, the recommendation may also provide cover for legislators,
safety advocates and others who support such a broad-based ban.
Many polls show that while people continue to use their devices
behind the wheel, they also widely consider such behavior to be
extremely dangerous.
The ban is also noteworthy because it is the first call by a
federal agency to end the practice completely, rather than the
partial ban that some legislators have put in place by allowing
hands-free talking.
State Senator Joe Simitian of California, who succeeded in
getting a law passed in 2006 that bans drivers there from talking
on a hand-held phone, called the board's recommendation "a wake-up
call about the dangers of distracted driving."
Yet, he also said he doubted it would achieve the desired result
because it was unlikely that legislators in California or elsewhere
would be able to pass such a ban. Mr. Simitian noted that he spent
five years trying to push a ban on hand-held devices, and faced
intense opposition from the phone industry.
"It's a political nonstarter," he said, adding that he would not
attempt to propose a total ban on drivers using their devices. "I
don't believe you'll see such a ban in my lifetime." For all his
skepticism, though, he acknowledged that political winds could
shift. "A decade ago, people didn't think we'd have a hands-free
law in California. Only time will tell."
Nine states now ban the use of hand-held phones, and 35 states
ban texting by drivers, according to the Governors Highway Safety
Association, which represents state traffic agencies. The group's
executive director, Barbara Harsha, called the N.T.S.B.
recommendation "courageous" and said it would prompt the group to
reconsider its policy, which calls for banning drivers from texting
but not talking on the phone.
"People may not be ready for that," she said of such a ban. "But
there will certainly be discussion about it."
Many mobile phone companies dropped their opposition over the
last decade to any restrictions on the use of phones in cars, and
have in recent years joined calls to ban texting while driving. In
a statement, CTIA, the cellular telephone industry trade group,
said it deferred to states about whether to enforce such bans.
A complete ban on phone use by drivers would have enormous
impact on many car makers that are offering integrated hands-free,
voice-activated systems that allow drivers to talk and do other
tasks, like calling up their phone directory.
The Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers, a trade group for the
industry, said in a statement that it was reviewing the N.T.S.B.
recommendations. But it also defended the integrated systems,
saying they allow drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes
on the road while they remain connected.
"What we do know is that digital technology has created a
connected culture in the United States and it's forever changed our
society: consumers always expect to have access to
technology; so managing technology is the solution," the alliance
said in a statement.
Ms. Hersman, the chairwoman of the N.T.S.B., said the safety
concerns were not just about keeping hands on the wheel and eyes on
the road, but also about making sure people focus on the act of
driving.
"It's about cognitive distraction. It's about not being engaged
at the task at hand," she said, adding: "Lives are being lost in
the blink of an eye. You can't take it back, you can't have a do
over, and you can't rewind."
The issue is gaining greater internationally, too.
Last year, Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the United Nations,
called for an end to the culture of multitasking behind the wheel.
Already, 30 countries have some limitations on the use of phones by
drivers, including complete bans in Germany and Portugal, said
Bella Dinh-Zarr, road safety director of international road safety
with the FIA Foundation, a road safety advocacy group.
Because of the growing research and concern about the issue, she
said, "More and more countries are going to be looking at it."