• 27
  • January
    2012

Cell phone use while driving has become a social norm. While it is a common habit of drivers, it also causes distracted driving that can result in injuries or fatalities. Recently, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made a recommendation that would ban all non-emergency cell phone use by drivers.

The NTSB is a Federal agency whose mission is to review transportation accidents, define the reasons for the accidents and promote transportation safety. In review of cell phone related motor vehicle accidents, the NTSB created a recommendation that will drastically alter cell phone use while driving for all 50 states.

The recommendation creates total ban on all cell phone use while driving. The total ban includes all cell phone use, including hands-free devices and bans cell phone use by drivers of all ages. The ban encompasses all cell phone usage that is non-emergency. While the ban is aimed at drivers, it does not affect passengers.

The effects of distracted driving are being compared to drunk driving. The NTSB recommendation comes after an investigation into a chain-reaction car accident - an accident that was caused by a 19 year old driver who sent or received 11 text messages in the 13 minutes prior to the accident. The driver's distracted driving caused a multi-vehicle accident that killed two people and injured 38 people. The rationale supporting the NTSB recommendation aims to reduce the frequency and impact of distracted driving.

The NTSB recommendation is not the first type of cell phone ban. New York was the first state to enact a ban on cell phone use by drivers. In 2001 New York passed a law that required hands-free devices for cell phone use by drivers. Given the potential impact and drastic changes proposed in the NTSB recommendation, it is too early to predict if New York will approve the proposed cell phone ban. The NTSB cell phone recommendation is not mandatory and the New York legislature will determine whether the proposed ban is approved in New York.