Pressure Builds for More States to Ban Cell Phone Use While Driving

The Obama administration reported that nearly 6,000 people were killed and a half-million injured last year in vehicle crashes connected to driver distraction, a striking indication of the dangers of using mobile devices behind the wheel.

The Transportation Department recently brought together experts for what it called a “distracted driving summit” to take a look at the highway hazards caused by drivers talking on cell phones or texting from behind the wheel.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the administration would “work with Congress” to develop ways of curbing distracted driving. According to LaHood, the meeting solicited ideas to address the problem “similar to what went on with seat belts and [blood-alcohol limits of] 0.08 where you really educate the public, where you tell people that they have to take personal responsibility for these things.”

Transportation officials said that 5,870 people were killed and 515,000 were injured last year in crashes where there was at least one form of driver distraction. Driver distraction was involved in 16 percent of all fatal crashes in 2008.

The new data underscored the major problem of distractions involving young drivers. The greatest proportion of distracted drivers were those age 20 and under. Sixteen percent of all under-20 drivers involved in fatal crashes were reported to have been distracted while driving, the government said.

Eighteen states and the District of Columbia have passed laws making texting while driving illegal and seven states and D.C. have banned driving while talking on a handheld cell phone, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Many safety groups have urged a nationwide ban on texting and on using handheld mobile devices while behind the wheel.

In July, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that when drivers of heavy trucks texted, their collision risk was 23 times greater. Dialing a cell phone and using or reaching for an electronic device increased risk of collision about six times in cars and trucks.

A separate report by Car and Driver magazine found that texting and driving is more dangerous than drunken driving.

Congress is watching. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Democrats have introduced legislation that would require states to ban texting or e-mailing while operating a moving vehicle or lose 25 percent of their annual federal highway funding. The Obama administration has not taken a position on the bill.

Some groups want tough laws on the distractions. The National Safety Council wants a total ban on cell phone use while driving. The Washington-based Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety has petitioned the government to consider federal rules that restrict talking and texting by drivers of tractor trailers, motor coaches and large vans.

“What we’re saying is, ‘Let’s be proactive on this.’ Let’s get in there now and start evaluating these technologies and figure out which ones pose safety risks,” said Jacqueline Gillan, of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

Other groups have focused on texting, which has grown to more than 110 billion messages a month, according to CTIA-The Wireless Association, the cellular phone industry’s trade group.

The Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway safety officials, recently reversed course and said it would support new laws banning texting behind the wheel. The Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers, which represents 11 automakers, including General Motors, Ford and Toyota, said it supports a ban on texting and phone calls using handheld devices.