Three years ago there were 50 million cellular or wireless phone subscribers. Today there are 91 million. And a substantial number of them use their phones while driving.
The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, the Washington, D.C.-based trade association for wireless service providers, says when used properly in the car, a cell phone does not represent a hazard for the driver or others on the road.
The key here, however, is “when used properly.” And education on when and how to use phones in the car can determine that, the association says.
Others, from behavioral research scientists to other motorists to elected officials at state and local levels, disagree.
Patrolman Rich Hovan is among the dissenters. The 26-year veteran of the Brooklyn, Ohio, public safety force passionately opposes cell-phone use by drivers. And Hovan has a local ordinance to back him up.
Brooklyn, a four-square-mile suburb of Cleveland with a population of 11,000, made headlines a year ago when it passed the nation’s first local law prohibiting the use of a wireless phone by a driver on the road in anything other than an emergency. (Since then Hilltown, Lebanon and Conshohocken, Penn., have joined Brooklyn in enacting such laws.)
“No person shall operate a motor vehicle on any street or highway while engaging in any conduct defined as the `use’ of a mobile telephone unless the operator maintains both hands on the applicable steering device.”
The penalty: a $3 citation. And very likely a lecture, if Hovan pulls you over.
“People absolutely don’t drive as well when they are on the phone–they are all over the road,” said Hovan, who has written some 150 tickets since the law took effect. That and the fact that a toddler was killed last year in Pennsylvania by a driver who was on the phone and ran into the child’s vehicle.
Talking on the phone is not the same as conversing with someone in your car, he said. “Your concentration level is stronger when you are on the phone.”
Paul Green, a scientist with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in Ann Arbor, Mich., agrees.
Green points out that passengers in a vehicle usually are well aware of traffic conditions. They are helping the driver, in a sense, by supplying additional eyes and ears. Conversation usually slows down or stops when driving becomes more demanding.
“Someone elsewhere may have no idea you are using a cell phone in your car and driving while you are talking with him or her,” he said.
We are conditioned to answer a ringing phone. It’s one thing when it is on your desk in your office; it’s another when the phone is somewhere on a car seat and buried in a purse or briefcase. Dialing, too, can be a distraction.
“Dialing can be a distraction, but not as much as answering the phone,” Green said. “Because it is a habit, some people will answer the phone, no matter how challenging the traffic situation and regardless of the risk to themselves and other motorists.”
The transportation research institute is looking at the concept of on-board sensors that will detect various driving conditions, including road geometry and amounts of traffic (through features such as adaptive cruise control and navigation systems). Such a system would determine whether it were unsafe for a driver to receive a call, then shift it into voice mail instead of letting it ring through.
Building an information system into a vehicle that can decide how to handle wireless transmissions seems wiser in the long run than “can or cannot” legislation affecting cell-phone (and other wireless) use, Green said.
The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association opposes the regulation of wireless phones in vehicles.
“There’s not enough information to pass responsible legislation,” said spokeswoman Lisa Ihde.
The association cites a recent survey in Prevention Magazine measuring the incidence of 10 potentially distracting activities done by drivers. The study found that two-thirds of the respondents reached to change a cassette tape or CD while driving and only 18 percent said they talked on their phones when at the wheel.
Reading maps, eating and drinking, dealing with noisy children or unrestrained pets and smoking have been cited as major distractions to drivers, the association said.
“There is a growth in the use of hands-free equipment,” Ihde said. “Studies don’t yet support any mandate for hands-free devices.”
The cellular association and other groups emphasize the importance of wireless phones in helping report highway crashes, unsafe conditions, drunken drivers and other emergencies such as car trouble. Some 98,000 calls a day are made to 911 and other emergency numbers from wireless phones, it reports.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 1998 released studies, many of which cast doubt on claims that phoning and driving can mix safely.
While the benefits to society are significant, cellular phones and other forms of wireless technology also create distractions that increase a driver’s risk on the highways, NHTSA concluded.
Driver “inattention” appears to be a primary contributing factor in at least half of all crashes, the administration said.
NHTSA readily recognized the contribution of wireless phones in reporting emergencies. It said it will continue to research the correlation between driver distraction and use of cell phones along with other in-vehicle technology.
In its argument against legislating the use of cell phones in cars, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association cites laws related to reckless driving.
“Every state already has legislation dealing with careless driving,” said Ihde.
England, which takes pride in having some of the toughest vehicle safety codes–cars must pass a thorough inspection each year to qualify for registration–does not specifically address wireless phones in cars.
“There is no law specifically passed to stop the use of mobile phones whilst in control of any vehicle,” said Jonathan Dow, of Club Class Carriages, a taxicab and limo company in Hailsham, East Sussex. “Apparently it would be incorporated into either `dangerous driving’ or `driving without due care and attention,’ in other words, `careless driving.’
“I do not know of anyone who has been prosecuted for using their mobile phone whilst driving,” Dow said. “Apparently there are some MPs (Members of Parliament) who are trying to push a bill through to make the law more specific about the use of mobiles whilst driving, and so I wouldn’t be surprised if a change was fairly imminent.”
In Brooklyn, Ohio, Hovan is optimistic about regulation of cell-phone use in vehicles. “We were the first town, back in 1966, to pass a law requiring the use of seat belts,” he said. “I think what we’ve done with our cell phone law is to perhaps set a precedent.”
HOW TO PHONE, DRIVE AT THE SAME TIME
According to Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association– wow-com.com –here are safe-driving tips for cell-phone users:
– Driving is your first responsibility. Always buckle up, keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road.
– Make sure your phone is positioned where it is easy to see and reach. Be familiar with your phone’s operation so you’re comfortable using it on the road.
– Use the speed-dialing feature to program frequently called numbers.
– When dialing manually, do so only when stopped. If you can’t stop or pull over, dial a few digits, then survey traffic before completing the call. Better yet, have a passenger dial.
– Never take notes while driving. Pull off the road to a safe spot to jot something down.
– Let your wireless network’s voice mail pick up your calls when it’s inconvenient or unsafe to answer the phone.
– Be a wireless Samaritan. Dialing 911 or another emergency number is a free call for wireless subscribers. Use it to report crimes or other potentially life-threatening emergencies, accidents or drunken driving.
EMERGENCY CALL
Even opponents of cell-phone use by drivers acknowledge their utility in an emergency. Here are the state police/highway patrol and emergency cell phone numbers by state. Police urge that these be used only to report accidents, emergencies, impaired drivers, reckless driving, vehicle problems, hazardous material spills and criminal behavior:
State Number
Alabama 334-242-4378 (*HP)
Alaska 911
Arizona 911
Arkansas 501-296-1860 (911)
California 911
Colorado 911
Connecticut 800-443-6817 (911)
Delaware 911
Florida 800-525-5555 (*FHP or *DUI)
Georgia *GSP
Idaho 911 or *ISP
Illinois 511 or *999
Indiana 911
Iowa 800-555-HELP (4357) (911)
Kansas *47
KS Turnpike *KTA
Kentucky 800-222-5555 (911)
Louisiana 504-893-6250 (*HP)
Maine *77
Maryland #77
Massachusetts *SP
Michigan 911
Minnesota 911
Mississippi 601-864-1314 (*HP)
Missouri 800-525-5555 (*55)
Montana 800-525-5555
Nebraska 800-525-5555
Nevada 911
New Hampshire *77 or 911
New Jersey 911
New Mexico 505-827-9301
New York 911
North Carolina 800-662-7956
North Dakota 800-472-2121
Ohio 800-525-5555 (*DUI)
Oklahoma *55
Oregon 911
Pennsylvania 911
Rhode Island 401-444-1069 (*77)
South Carolina (*HP)
South Dakota 911
Tennessee 607-741-2060 (*THP)
Texas 800-525-5555
Utah 911
Vermont 802-244-8727
Virginia 911
Washington 360-438-7700 (911)
West Virginia *SP
Wisconsin 911
Wyoming 800-442-9090 (#HELP) (4357)
Source: Missouri State Police
