Commentary; Posted: 8/23/06
Regulating cell phone use in cars is worth a look
By Don Heinzman
Peter Hutchinson, Independence Party gubernatorial candidate, believes use of cell phones while driving should be banned in Minnesota.
Since distraction is the number one cause of traffic accidents in the United States, Hutchinsonís idea has plenty of support in the country and in the world.
Twenty-one countries have either restricted on banned the use of cell phones in cars.
Eleven states and the District of Columbia restrict cell phone use and some ban hand-held cell phones completely, according to the National Safety Board.
The National Safety Board has voted to add to ask state legislatures to ban novice drivers from using any wireless communication devices.
In Minnesota, the law on use of cell phones while operating vehicles covers only those with provisional drivers license. Otherwise, there is no other state law dealing with cell phones in cars.
In Minnesota, driver inattention or distractions were the leading cause of 87,813 traffic crashes in 2005, resulting in 559 deaths and 37,686 injuries.
Of the 37,686 injuries, 11,422 were caused by distractions, and of the 559 deaths, 98 were caused by inattention and distraction.
Use of mobile cellular phones has skyrocketed. Researchers at the University of Toronto reported in New England Journal of Medicine that the risk of having a traffic accident while using a cellular phone is the same as that while driving drunk.
The study also shows that cell phone users are four to five hundred percent more likely to get into traffic accidents than those who did not use them.
The study further showed that telephones that allowed the hands to be free did not appear to be safer than hand-held phones.
The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association is critical of the findings of the study, saying that it dealt with an association between accidents and the phones.
They said the researches did not directly assess whether the phones caused the accidents.
They also said while cell phone use was way up, traffic injuries were down, showing users drive safely.
Cell phones can be valuable during emergencies, like calling 911 on traffic crashes, traffic hazards, a reckless or drunk driver, medical emergencies, fires, a driver in distress and a crime in distress.
They shouldnít be used to tell a 911 driver they are lost.
States are reluctant to forbid drivers from using cell phones completely but they are willing to restrict use among new drivers, not just teenagers.
The National Safety Board noted that teenagers comprise the majority of new drivers and automobile accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers, accounting for 6.4 percent of the driving population and 14.3 percent of the accidents.
In light of the facts on injuries and deaths caused by distractions, Hutchinsonís idea to ban cell phones while driving, or at least regulating the way new drivers use them, is worth studying, and possibly passing some legislation.
Forest Lake Times
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