The study, conducted by the University of California, Berkeley’s Safety Transportation Research and Education Center compared the two years before the state enacted the cell phone ban in July 2008 and the two following years. Among the findings:

• Overall traffic deaths fell 22%, and
• Hand-held cell phone driver deaths declined 47%.

Not only that, but results were similar for cases involving hands-free phones, even though California has not banned them. Separate research may explain why. A 2010 survey found that in states with hand-held phone bans, 44% of drivers said they didn’t use a cell phone at all while driving compared to only 30% in states without bans. It’s possible the hand-held ban also discouraged users of hands-free phone devices such as Bluetooth.

Of course, enforcement plays a big part in the decline of any illegal activity. California’s Department of Motor Vehicles says in 2011, there were 460,487 hand-held cell phone convictions, up 22% from 2010 and an increase of 52% from 2009.

The total cost of a ticket for a first offense is $20, but it rises to at least $159 after various state and local fees and taxes are added. Subsequent offenses are at least $279.

Previous research had showed no difference in the number of crashes involving drivers using hand-held versus hands-free phones. Example: A 2010 study by the Highway Loss Data Institute found no reductions in crashes in states that passed similar laws.

Does this study make you more likely to support similar hand-held cell phone bans while driving in more states, or even nationwide? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

The post Study: Cell phone ban reduces traffic deaths and injuries appeared first on Safety News Alert.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called upon states to ban drivers’ use of cell phones and any personal electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle. Let the debate begin!

The NTSB proposal would apply to hands-free devices, but not GPSs.

The agency made the proposition in connection with the results of its investigation into an Aug. 5, 2010, crash on I-44 in Gray Summit, MO, that killed two people and injured 38 others.

A pickup truck ran into the back of a truck-tractor. Then a school bus hit the pickup, and the first school bus was hit by a second one. The pickup driver and a 15-year-old student were killed.

The NTSB investigation showed the pickup driver sent and received 11 text messages in the 11 minutes before the crash. The last text was received moments before the pickup struck the truck.

Probable cause is listed as distraction.

NTSB investigations into these type of crashes dates back nine years. The first was in 2002 when a driver, distracted by a cell phone conversation, veered off a road in Largo, MD, crossed the median, and killed five people.

Other transportation incidents in which people were injured or killed due to an operator’s cell phone use:

• In the 2008 collision of a commuter train with a freight train in Chatsworth, CA, the commuter train engineer ran a red signal while texting. The collision killed 25 and injured dozens.
• In Philadelphia in 2010, a barge being towed by a tugboat ran over a duck boat full of tourists in the Delaware River, killing two passengers. The tugboat mate failed to maintain a proper lookout because of his repeated use of his cell phone.
• In 2010, near Munfordville, KY, a tractor trailer left its lane, crossed the median and collided with a 15-passenger van. The truck driver didn’t keep control of his vehicle because he was distracted by use of his cell phone. Eleven people were killed.

The NTSB’s call for states to ban drivers from using hand-held and hands-free devices goes beyond any laws enacted. Nine states now ban the use of hand-held phones, and 35 states ban texting by drivers. Some states have passed laws that apply to the use of cell phones by drivers under the age of 21. (For a summary of state laws, click here.)

Across the globe, 20 countries have some limitations on the use of phones by drivers, including complete bans in Germany and Portugal.

The cell phone industry backs bans on texting while driving.

The Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers says it’s reviewing the NTSB recommendations. However, it defended the integrated systems now available in many cars, saying they allow drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road while they make calls.

No doubt many cell phone owners will oppose the NTSB’s proposal, particularly that it includes hands-free devices such as headsets and integrated systems.

For businesses, there are good reasons to enact their own bans of one type or another. In any lawsuits stemming from a crash, evidence of texting while driving may prove negligence or recklessness, which often determines the outcome of an injury lawsuit. If a texting driver wants to sue someone else regarding a crash, the texting may constitute contributory negligence and prevent the texting driver from obtaining compensation.

Let’s hear what you have to say: Do you support the NTSB’s call for a ban on the use of all electronic devices in vehicles, hand-held and hands-free? If not, what kind of a ban would you support? You can leave your comments below.

The post Should states ban all cell phone use by drivers? appeared first on Safety News Alert.

U.S. Transportation Secretary announced the final rule on Wednesday, just before the Thanksgiving holiday.

The joint rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) prohibits commercial drivers from using a hand-held cell phone while operating a commercial truck or bus.

Potential penalties for a violation of the new regulation include:

• civil penalties of up to $2,750 for drivers for each offense
• disqualification from operating a commercial motor vehicle for multiple offenses
• suspension of a driver’s commercial driver’s license after two or more serious traffic violations
• maximum penalty of $11,000 for commercial truck and bus companies that allow their drivers to use hand-held cell phones while driving.

About four million commercial drivers will be affected by the rule.

FMCSA research shows using a hand-held cell phone requires a commercial driver to take several risky steps beyond what’s required for using a hands-free phone, including searching and reaching for the phone.

Commercial drivers reaching for an object are three times more likely to be involved in a crash. Dialing a hand-held phone makes it six times more likely that commercial drivers will be involved in a crash.

This isn’t the first step the federal government has taken in this area. In September 2010, FMCSA issued a regulation banning text messaging while operating a commercial truck or bus. PHMSA followed up with a similar rule in February 2011 for intrastate hazardous materials drivers.

More than 5,400 people died and half a million were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver in 2009.

Many large truck and bus companies, such as UPS, Wal-Mart, Peter Pan and Greyhound, already had policies banning their drivers from using hand-held phones.

Do you think state governments should follow up with bans on hand-held cell phones while driving for all drivers? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

The post Feds ban use of hand-held cell phones for commercial drivers appeared first on Safety News Alert.

Nevada’s new law outlaws touching a cell phone while driving. That makes it against the law to text or talk while using a hand-held phone, but you can use a hands-free one. (Retailers report sales of hands-free devices have increased substantially.)

The state’s Highway Patrol says it appears that most motorists are complying with the new law. But officers report another hazard has been created: Many drivers are now pulling onto the shoulders of busy highways to use their hand-held phones.

Nevada Highway Patrol spokesman Chuck Allen told the Las Vegas Review Journal that shoulders are meant for emergencies only and pulling onto them could be dangerous for drivers, particularly at night.

That fact was included in a newspaper editorial. We’ll let the Review Journal take it from there:

“Well, duh. If the phone rings and it’s a child who could be in trouble, or your employer is letting you know you’re needed back early from lunch, lawmakers thought we were all going to circle around for 15 minutes, looking for a safe residential side street on which to park before answering?

“Or maybe lawmakers might want to consider all the likely ramifications of their hundred-thousandth new law before racing to chisel it into the Nevada Revised Statutes.”

Does this unintended consequence make banning the use of cell phones while driving a bad idea? Or is it less hazardous to have more drivers parked on highway shoulders compared to having them answer their phones while driving? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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