Virtually everyone today owns a cell phone, and according to a Harris Poll 72% of people who own a phone and drive use their cell phone in the car. I myself occasionally use my phone in the car even though I know that it is dangerous.

As I discovered while doing my research, there is a huge amount of information out there on this subject – on the web, in magazines and newspapers, on the radio and TV – it’s a very hot topic. I originally was going to be for NO talking on the cell phone and absolutely NO texting while driving. However, after further consideration I decided to adopt the more reasonable position stated by CITA – the International Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry – a pro cell phone advocacy group. Here is how I came to this stance.

There is no question that talking and texting while driving is dangerous. This is indisputable. A 2003 Harvard Center of Risk Analysis study indicated that six percent of all yearly accidents on the road are caused by cell phone use. This translates as 330,000 injuries, of which 12,000 are serious – and 2,600 deaths. These numbers are almost certainly higher now, seven years later, as the number of cell phones and cell phone users steadily increases.

Further, a University of Utah study from that same year came to the following conclusion: “Cell phone drivers may actually exhibit greater impairments (i.e., more accidents and less responsive driving behavior) than legally intoxicated drivers. These data also call into question driving regulations that prohibit hand-held cell phones and permit hands-free cell phones, because no significant differences were found in the impairments to driving caused by these two modes of cellular communication”

A Virginia Tech study done last July sums up the situation nicely:

Point number one: “Texting should be banned in moving vehicles for all drivers. As shown in the table, this cell phone task has the potential to create a true crash epidemic if texting-type tasks continue to grow in popularity and the generation of frequent text message senders reach driving age in large numbers.”

Point number two: “Headset” cell phone use is not substantially safer than “hand‐held” use because the primary risk is associated with both tasks is answering, dialing, and other tasks that require your eyes to be off the road….”

and finally point number 3) “All cell phone use should be banned for newly licensed teen drivers. Our research has shown that teens tend to engage in cell phone tasks much more frequently, and in much more risky situations, than adults. Thus, our studies indicate that teens are four times more likely to get into a related crash or near crash event than their adult counterparts.”

It is obvious that we have a problem here. But what to do? The problem, according to the Harris Poll, is that the “large majority of drivers who own cell phones use them while driving even though they know this is dangerous.” Public opinion is against cell use and texting in automobiles. A New York Times poll published a month ago had these findings: 97% of the respondents said no to texting, 80% said no cell calls while driving, 50% thought that the punishment for calling or texting should be equal to that for driving while intoxicated.

So what are the current laws concerning cell phones both here in Illinois and abroad? According to the online magazine cellular-news at least 40 countries ban cell calls while driving outright – including the UK, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, and Japan. The Governors Highway Safety Association states that in Illinois, cell phones are banned from school and construction zones, by school bus drivers, and drivers under the age of 19. Also, as of January 1, 2010 Texting will be illegal throughout the state. Also, hand-held cell use while driving is banned in the city of Chicago.

The primary problem is that people will use their cell phones regardless of their own belief that it is dangerous, and regardless of the law. Advances in technology do not necessarily help – as has been seen, using hands-free is no safer that hands-on, although the newer voice activated hands-free systems hold promise of being somewhat safer. We have to find a solution to the problem that is reasonable and will work. While no cell phone use or texting while driving may be an ideal, it is unenforceable. CITA has proposed a set of guidelines that I believe is more functional than what is currently in place in most areas. It is a compromise, but a reasonable one.

The CITA has issued the following statement on cell phone use and driving:

 ”The wireless industry is neutral on outright bans of cellular use while driving and hands-free legislation. We believe consumers can best determine what laws (bans or hands-free) that they would or would not support related to talking on their devices.
At the same time, we believe text-messaging while driving is incompatible with safe driving, and we support state and local statutes that ban this activity while driving.

We also agree with proposals that restrict or limit cellular use by inexperienced or novice drivers. Just as many states have graduated drivers’ laws, such as restricting the number of passengers or nighttime hours of driving, the industry believes restricting a young driver’s use of wireless while becoming better-skilled at the primary driving tasks makes sense.”

 This is a moderate and feasible course of action given the current rate of increasing cell phone use. As has been shown, people will use their phones regardless of the law, and contrary to popular belief hands-free devices are no more safe than hands-on.

In conclusion, while we all know that talking and texting while driving is dangerous, we do it anyway. Technology will not save us – the type of phone we use doesn’t matter. We need to take individual responsibility for our actions, by following local laws and, most importantly, using common sense – keep calls to a minimum, do not talk under high stress conditions, and absolutely DO NOT TEXT! I’ve got a 30 second public awareness spot I’d like to show you, produced by CITA.

  See promotional video here:  On the Road, Off the Phone!

Bibliography

 Connelly, Marjorie. “Many in U.S. Want Texting at the Wheel to Be Illegal.” New York Times 2 Nov

      2009. New York edition p. A8.

 ”Countries that ban Cell Phones While Driving.” cellular-news. 6 June 2009. 1 Dec 2009

       http://www.cellular-news.com/car_bans/

 Hanowski, Dr. Rich et al. “New Data from VTTI Provides Insight into Cell Phone Use and Driving

      Distraction.” Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. 27 July 2009. 1 Dec 2009

      http://www.vtti.vt.edu/PDF/7-22-09-VTTI-Press_Release_Cell_phones_and_Driver_Distraction.pdf

 Largent, Steve. “CTIA Statement of the Distracted Driving Summit Closing Remarks.” International

      Association for the Wireless Telecommunications Industry (CTIA). 1 Oct 2009. 20 Nov. 2009

      http://www.ctia.org/blog/index.cfm/2009/10/1/CTIA-Statement-on-the-Distracted-Driving-Summit-Closing-Remarks

 ”Safe Driving.” CTIA Advocacy. September, 2009. 1 Dec 2009

      http://www.ctia.org/advocacy/policy_topics/topic.cfm/TID/17

 Strayer, David L. et al. “Fatal Distraction? A Comparison of the Cell-Phone Driver and the Drunk

      Driver. University of Utah Department of Psychology. 4 Mar. 2005. 20 Nov 2009.

      http://www.psych.utah.edu/AppliedCognitionLab/HFES2006.pdf

 Taylor, Humphrey. “Large Majority of Drivers Who Own Cell Phones Use Them While Driving Even

      hough They Know This is Dangerous.” Harris Poll Interactive 8 June 2009. 1 Dec 2009

      http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/pubs/Harris_Poll_2009_06_08.pdf