National Safety Council Calls For Complete Ban on Cell Phones (even hands free) [View All]

[The Straight Story]

National Safety Council Calls For Complete Ban on Cell Phones
By Jose Fermoso EmailJanuary 22, 2009 | 3:50:36 AMCategories: Phones

In a report released last week, the National Safety Council is recommending that top U.S. legislators pass a nationwide law to ban the use of any and all cell phones and accessories while driving.

According to the New York Times, the council mostly based its report on a 2003 study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, in addition to an eye-opening study from the University of Utah. The latter suggests that hands-free gadgets cause as much of a distraction for drivers as using a cell phone with your hands for calls or texting.

The NSC is emphasizing findings that suggest hands-free laws and Bluetooth devices do more harm than good, serving as a psychological placebo for drivers. They say Bluetooth devices lull drivers into a false sense of security and actually make people call more than if they were just calling one-handed.

When confronted over the possibility that talking with a passenger might offer the same challenge as talking over a Bluetooth device, an NSC rep mentioned that a passenger's awareness was more likely to help out a driver by censuring himself during a dangerous course than a remote speaker.

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration is backing up the report and will likely use it to pressure local governments into creating tougher laws over the next year. Currently, laws that govern transportation in this country are determined by individual states.

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/01/national-safety.html