Washington – A national safety group is advocating a total ban on cell phone use while driving, saying the practice is clearly dangerous and leads to fatalities.
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States should ban drivers from using hand-held and hands-free cell phones, and businesses should prohibit employees from using cell phones while driving on the job, the congressionally chartered National Safety Council says, taking those positions for the first time.
The group’s president and chief executive, Janet Froetscher, likened talking on cell phones to drunken driving, saying cell phone use increases the risk of a crash fourfold.
“When our friends have been drinking, we take the car keys away. It’s time to take the cell phone away,” Froetscher said in interview.
Council officials acknowledged a total ban could take years.
“Public awareness and the laws haven’t caught up with what the scientists are telling us,” Froetscher said. “There is no dispute that driving while talking on your cell phone, or texting while driving, is dangerous.”
Froetscher said the council examined more than 50 scientific studies before reaching its decision. One was a study by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis that estimates 6 percent of vehicle crashes, causing about 2,600 deaths and 12,000 serious injuries a year, are attributable to cell phone use. Hands-free cell phones are just as risky as hand held phones, she added.
“It’s not just what you’re doing with your hands — it’s that your head is in the conversation and so your eyes are not on the road,” Froetscher said.
they should perhaps also consider banning passengers, as drivers are very likely to get caught up in conversation with them.
People who chat on the phone while driving are worse than drunk drivers.
Rabbonim should make this a high priority issue for their followers. The use of cellphones among frumme yidden is probably higher than most imagine and is especially dangerous since many of these otherwise prudent individuals will engage in animated conversations without even using a headset since it interferes with their hats or yarmulkes. There should be a absolute prohibition on taling on a cell phone while driving. Having this come from the rabbonim will do a lot more for yidden than passing a law which would only be ignored.
it would be like the old days, before everyone had cellphones. I don’t see it happening to havea total ban on phones while drving
How can this be enforced. On what basis would you get pulled over?
You can use a speaker phone and your good to go.
Officer: I saw you talking
Driver: Yeah I was talking to myself
stupid idea instead of training people to be more alert when driving and talking on their cell they are placing ban after ban sounds like chasidic rabbis and we see how much they can ban thiungs
These people should leave us alone. Aside from the hypocrisy that you see all the police and law inforcement yapping away, and without a hands free, mind you. Oh, and they do that while speeding of course.
Clearly talking while holding the phone is distracting….wait but don’t cars have still cigarette lighters….for cigarettes? I guess accidents don’t happen while smoking…then again…don’t cars have cupholders….For Coffeee? I guess accidents don’t happen while drinking hot coffee….wait don’t cars have screaming kids in the car seats in the BACK SEAT (cause it’s the law now)…I guess parents don’t have any yelling kids that distract them either….Only cell phones
Ban passenger as well as car radios. Plus, don’t listen to shiurim either. Too distracting.
these liberal groups just dont know where to stop. they will continue until they can take away every single g-d given right.
Why not ban driving altogether, as it clearly will save lives. or how about banning people from having kids, as so there will be no need to save anybody. sick creatures
these liberal groups just dont know where to stop. they will continue until they can take away every single g-d given right.
Why not ban driving altogether, as it clearly will save lives. or how about banning people from having kids, as so there will be no need to save anybody. sick creatures
these liberal groups just dont know where to stop. they will continue until they can take away every single g-d given right.
Why not ban driving altogether, as it clearly will save lives. or how about banning people from having kids, as so there will be no need to save anybody. sick creatures
First I must admit i’m biassed, I b’h own a large company selling a few hundred to a few thousand headsets and car kits a week.
I have been in the car many times with my parents, and c’v any disrespect but when they talk on the phone when driving i fear for my life!
Now, I have offered to set them up with ANY bluetooth headset in stock and b’h we are talking over 90 models + a few car kits.. they havent accepted my offer.
I must admit, after californa passed their ban no driving without a headset, 80% of bluetoth sales were to california!
I would speculate that motorola, plantronics, jabra banded together etc.. and fund lobbiying groups..
Now, if youve bought a headset and cannot stand it, A its uncomfortable, B its bad quality.. or C the good ones are too much.
Go on ebay or google base, search the best rated headset you want and buy either bulk packaged or refurbished headset!!!
DO NOT BUY A RETAIL IN THE STORE HEADSET IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD IT!
I do nt c’v want to take a store’s business away, but people cannot afford to buy a jabra bt8040, jawbone 1, motorola h680, motorola h12, plantronics voyager 520 to name a ferw of the better headsets that retail at 70+
If its any compensation, I know for a fact that MANY of the bluetooth wholesalers are frum jews and many ebay and website sellers are frum jews.
I gave a motorola T305 to a close frtiend.. he LOVES it!! you can voice dial such as “call mom” and it will call mom.. you can answer, hang up and dial without touching your phone.
in england they inforced a law that no hand held phones while driving
But you are allowed a Bluetooth and you can get 3 points on your liscence
I would support a ban on National Safety Groups
Anyone engaged in a Phone conversation while driving, even if on a headset or speaker phone is much more impaired than someone who had been drinking and driving while intoxicated.
Everyone who drives in New York has seen this before.
You see someone doing something really stupid on the road and you say to yourself “he/she is probably on a cell phone” and then you look and see that it’s true!
there should NEVER be any children in a car, because children distract the driver, especially when they fight.