Safety Group Advocates Total Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving
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The National Safety Council is the first major national safety group to call for a total ban on using cell phones while driving, including hand-held and hands-free cell phones. The group also says businesses should prohibit employees from using cell phones while driving on the on the job.
According to the group, cell phone use while driving is dangerous and leads to fatalities. They note that cell phone use while driving differs from other dangerous driving behaviors in that there is a greater magnitude of cell phone users.
There are 270 million cell phone users in the U.S. and 80 percent of them talk on the phone while driving.
While those numbers are staggering, in almost every state, it is up to drivers to determine whether it is worth the risk to use a cell phone while behind the wheel.
Presently, no state bans all cell phone use while driving. Six states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Utah and Washington), and the District of Columbia ban using hand-held cell phones while driving, however. Here in Chicago, it is illegal to talk on your cell phone while driving.
Other groups, though in agreement that there are dangers involved, note that a ban would be difficult to enforce.