Feds Want Cell Phone Ban for Teen Drivers
Posted on: Wednesday, 21 September 2005, 00:00 CDT
WASHINGTON -- New drivers have enough things to worry about without adding cell phones and other wireless devices to the mix, federal safety regulators say. They want all states to make it illegal for teenagers and other novice drivers to jabber on phones.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday voted to add to its annual list of "Most Wanted Safety Recommendations to States" a ban on novice drivers using any wireless communication devices.
"Learning how to drive while distracted is definitely a recipe for disaster," said the safety board's acting chairman, Mark Rosenker.
The NTSB only has the power to make recommendations, but its staff and board members personally lobby - often with success - for changes the board considers most important.
"It does make a difference," said Judie Stone, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, which supports the ban.
Already, 11 states and the District of Columbia restrict cell phone use among novice drivers, and some ban hand-held cell phones completely, according to the safety board. The states with restrictions on wireless communication while driving are Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee and Texas.
Many states are reluctant to completely forbid drivers from using cell phones, but are willing to restrict their use among new drivers, said Jonathan Adkins, spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association, which supports the recommendation.
"It's a good compromise for legislators who want to do something about the issue," said Adkins. "People get in these big heavy conversations and they're not focused on their driving."
Adkins applauded the NTSB's decision to focus on new drivers, rather than just teenage drivers.
"It's an issue of experience with driving, not the issue of maturity," he said.
Teenagers, though, comprise the vast majority of new drivers, and automobile accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers. They account for 14.3 percent of accidents but only 6.4 percent of the driving population, according to the NTSB.
The safety board also added to its "Most Wanted" list:
-Improve protection of children in vehicles.
-Pass primary seatbelt laws.
-Promote youth highway safety.
-Eliminate hard core drinking and driving.
-Improve grade crossing safety.
-Improve recreational boating safety.
---
On the Net:
National Transportation Safety Board: http://www.ntsb.gov
Source: Associated Press/AP Online
Related Articles
- Comcast Cable's Eastern Division Donates 7,500 Phones to Cell Phones for Soldiers
- Opexa's Phase IIb Study of Tovaxin(R) Receives Positive Review From Data Safety Monitoring Board
- Gentium Announces Completion of Data Safety Monitoring Board Review and Continuation of the Phase II/III European Pediatric Prevention Trial of Defibrotide
- Gentium Announces Update From Data Safety Monitoring Board Review of the Phase III Treatment Trial of Defibrotide for Severe Veno-Occlusive Disease
- Gentium Announces the Data Safety Monitoring Board Review of the Phase III Trial of Defibrotide to Treat Patients With Severe Veno-Occlusive Disease
- BioMS Medical's Phase III U.S. Multiple Sclerosis Trial Receives Positive Safety Review From Data Safety Monitoring Board
- Patient Safety Authority Board of Directors Names Infection Advisory Panel
- Safety Monitoring Board Recommends Continuation of EntreMed's MKC-1 Phase 2 Breast Cancer Study
- D-Pharm Announces the Second Recommendation of an Independent Safety Monitoring Board to Continue the Phase II Study of DP-B99 in Acute Stroke Patients
- Data and Safety Monitoring Board Recommends Discontinuation of Canvaxin(TM) Phase 3 Clinical Trial for Patients With Stage III Melanoma
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds